It All Started With a Bang
by FirewithFire
Summary: A loud gunfire shot echoed throughout McKinley High, setting a change of perspective in motion. Quinn and Santana have been sort of together for a while now, but what happens when someone else realizes she's made a mistake? Will Quinn stick with Santana, even when everything just seems to be bad timing and bad luck?
1. Reunion

It was reunion day at McKinley high, Brittany was so excited to see her friends again. She missed Santana, even though she was with Sam now. She missed how close they used to be, aside from the physical stuff that is. She couldn't wait to see her and Quinn, it's been kinda lonely, with Santana living in New York and Quinn in college at New Haven. She was happy with Sam, sure, but it's not the same as having girlfriends around to gossip with. _The Unholy Trinity_, _we so ruled_. She smiled at that thought.

'What are you smiling about?' Brittany sat up and turned to Sam to find him looking at her in adoration.

'Just thinking about old times, I guess', the dancer stared back out the window of the car and scanned the parking lot, trying to see if her former fellow gleecast members had arrived yet.

Sam lifted one eyebrow, 'Brit, it's only been two years, you're talking about it like it was twenty years ago.'

'That's how it feels Sam, I mean, it's just weird not having everyone around like we used to you know… Now we have to like, plan stuff, weeks or even months in advance. It just makes me sad sometimes.'

The other blonde lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes, 'don't be sad sweetie, I'm here, and today we're gonna see everyone and have a good time, just like old times kay?'

She nodded and gave him an innocent smile, she was excited, but nervous, too. She hadn't spoken to most them in a year, not because she didn't want to, but it was hard, obviously most of them left Lima so keeping in touch was just always easier said than done. As she got out of the car she heard a familiar voice.

'Oh my god Brit! How are you!'

She turned around to see the now popular diva, run up to her and catch her in an embrace.

'Mercedes! I'm good, but _wow_, look at you, you look amazing!' She did, Hollywood styling has done her good. She was dressed in trendy flashy clothes, nothing the former cheerio would wear herself, but it sure looked amazing on Mercedes who's personality was as 'out there' as her brand new style.

'Thank you,' the diva gave her a modest smile, yet Brittany knew, that she knew she looked good.

'Still with Sam I see, I'm so glad to see you two are still happy together!'

'I'm a lucky guy', Sam said as he gave his girlfriend a kiss on the forehead.

'Oh stop…' the dancer said giggling, not noticing a dark-haired girl was making her way over.

'Yeah really, _stop_. This mushy stuff makes me kinda nauseous.'

The blonde dancer suddenly noticed the Latina she's been aching to see, not realizing how much until this moment.

'SANTANA!'

'Hey britbrit, what's up?', the Latina smiled as Brittany quickly pulled her into a hug.

'I missed you', the blonde whispered.

'I missed you too Brit', the Latina gave her a sympathetic smile.

Sam looked a little uncomfortable, but pulled the Latina into a hug anyway. Truth is, he missed her too, she always knew how to push it with her jokes, but he knew that underneath it all, she actually did care for him. Glee club just does that to you. They started off hating each other, but after all the hardships they've gone through together, it's really almost impossible not to care.

'How've you been trouty?', the Latina asked while giving him her best smirk.

'I've been good, how about yourself? Still living it up in New York?'

'You know it.' the Latina said as she walked up to Mercedes.

'Hey girl, it's good to see you', the diva said as she smiled.

'Yeah, you too', the Latina said as she returned a warm smile. They were all still trying to grasp the fact that this was real, them hanging out together, just like back in high school. It was strange to be here, yet it all felt so familiar.

'Have you guys seen anyone else yet?' the diva asked as she looked around.

'Uhm, not yet but we were just about to go in, let's see if there's more people inside!' the dancer said as she suddenly had the biggest smile plastered on her face and started pacing to the entrance. The rest agreed and followed her inside. Yeah, they we're excited. If they only knew what was about to happen...


	2. Echo

As the bunch entered the building and walked down the hallway they started to reminisce. Memories of them all hanging out by their lockers popped up.

They remembered Rachel bragging about her latest vocal accomplishment, and Finn pretending to listen.

Artie wheeling around giving people high fives, enjoying his newfound popularity since he joined the football team.

The cheerios discussing the latest gossip. That is whenever they weren't scratching each others eyes out.

Jewfro hopping around the school with his cameraman annoying everyone with his brutally honest questions.

Mike and Tina making out in some corner… Wait.

This wasn't some very visual part of their trip down memory lane, this was actually happening.

They rushed up to the pair, they were still heavily making out. If an asteroid were to crash the planet they probably wouldn't even flinch. They didn't even notice that all eyes were on them.

The group just stared, they were all still kinda stunned. Mike and Tina broke up, and it didn't seem like they were ever getting back together. Well until now.

Santana was the first to break the silence and cleared her throat rather loud, hoping to catch the Asian couple's attention.

'I thought you guys broke up? Hey by the way', the Latina squinted her eyes, eager to hear their story.

'Yeah how did this happen?' the blonde dancer added.

The pair ceased their make-out session to find their old friends staring at them, and it obviously caught them off guard.

'Oh my god, ehm… You saw… How long have you… Hi,' the asian girl struggled to make out words and started to blush, 'Well…Yeah, but we reconnected at spring break. Turns out we were in the same hotel and… We talked, you know, one thing led to another… I guess we still had feelings for each other after all.'

Mike simply gave a shy smile, not sure how to react to the sudden interrogation. This was definitely not how he had their first meeting in two years in mind.

Sam started to grin, 'well I think it's great, you guys were so good together! Y-you were always that stable couple, you guys belong together, I mean, not like, because you're both are Asians or anything like that but…' he mumbled suddenly looking embarrassed, 'well you know, because ehm… I'm happy for you, yeah.'

The group let out a laugh, it was great to hear Sam's awkward speeches again.

The Latina rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. 'Is it valentine's day? What's with the lovey dovey couples today?'

The rest of the group turned to her as they all raised an eyebrow.

'What's your deal? Are you jealous or something?' the diva teased, then questioning the look she got from the Latina in response. She couldn't quite make out what it meant at first, but then the realization hit her.

'YOU MET SOMEONE!' the diva yelled in excitement.

'I... Maybe.' the Latina tried to contain her smile, but she was doing a pretty shitty job at it.

'Oh cut the crap, spill!' The diva was always very curious, she couldn't wait to get in the latest gossip.

Brittany stared at the Latina, suddenly very interested, why didn't she know about this? She waited for the Latina to answer, while still noticing that Sam looked somewhat relieved. This wasn't her priority now though, she was dying to hear about her ex-girlfriend's new flame.

'Yeah right, like I'm gonna spill my guts to you guys on the first day we've seen each other in like two years. But I will tell you, she is smokin hot,' the Latina bit her lip at the thought, 'It's nothing serious, we're seizing the day, for now.'

The rest just smiled and nodded, knowing this was all they were going to get out of the Latina right now.

'Let's get to the choir room, I think there's more people in there already', Sam said as they heard voices come out of the room. The group agreed and they started pacing to the door, the Latina staying behind.

'San? You coming?' the blonde dancer asked as she turned around, then noticing the Latina's phone buzzing.

'I'll be right there, I just gotta take this call okay?' the Latina gave her a quick smile and then turned to her phone call.

'Okay', the dancer mouthed to her in a somewhat awkward smile, and then entered the choir room to join the rest.

* * *

**_'Hey baby, I need you.'_**

The Latina smirked, even though the girl at the other end of the line wasn't there to see it.** '_Not enough sexy time last week? Boy you've got it bad.' _**

_**'Oh shut up, I'm in the parking lot and ehm… My dress is kinda stuck in the car door… Could you just come over and help me out? I know you're there already, I saw your car.'**_

The Latina let out a laugh, **'_You mean help you out of that dress? You're on.'_**

**_'Seriously San, you're impossible.'_**

The Latina practically saw the other girl roll her eyes, she didn't need to be there to know her every move.**_ 'Geez, you're no fun. How did you get stuck anyway? Can't you just like, open the door?'_**

**_'Don't you think I would if I could? I'm not stupid.'_**

**_'Says the girl who's stuck to her car door.'_**

**_'Whatever. Some idiot driver raced by me as I got out of the car, it startled me so I dropped the keys okay? But I already closed the door and now I'm stuck and I can't reach the keys. Comprende?' _**the other girl seemed to get a little annoyed. Obviously. She was standing in the parking lot, by herself, attached to her car door.

_**'Wow. So you want me to come rescue you? What's in it for me?'** _The Latina was joking, but not-so-secretly she hoped for a reward.

**_'Don't be an ass.'_**

The Latina huffed, but was surprised when she suddenly heard the other girl let out subtle mischievous laugh.

**_'I promise, we'll have some fun tonight yeah? But could you please come help me now?'_**

The Latina smiled, content learning about their evening plans.

**_'Sure thing Q.'_**

She hung up the phone and made her way to the entrance, when a sudden loud noise brought her movement to a halt.

Bang. It was the sound of a gunfire that echoed throughout McKinley High.


	3. One hour

**14.34** – it's been over an hour.

You could cut the silence with a knife. Everyone in the choir room slowly came out of hiding, traces of tears covering all of their faces. They might've been nervous about today, but never had they expected to be this scared. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, today was supposed be a happy day. _What the hell happened?_

'You think it's safe outside?' Sam whispered.

'I don't care, I'm going out. Santana… She's not answering her phone… She-' before the blonde dancer finished her sentence she got up and walked towards the door.

'Brit get back here, you don't even know if the shooter's still out there!' Sam called, now raising his voice. He grabbed his girlfriend's shoulder and tried to pull her back.

'Sam please!' the dancer begged, new tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to go out there, she was scared to death but she just _had_ to. 'Santana might have got hurt…' she whispered.

'I know, I know… But she could be just fine, and even if something did happen to her, she wouldn't want you to risk your life babe.' Sam said as his hold on her now turned into an embrace, he tried to soothe her but nothing could really calm the blonde dancer down right now.

Suddenly they heard voices coming from the hallway. 'ALL CLEAR.'

Everyone simultaneously sighed in relief. It was as if they had held their breath ever since the gunshot was fired. It was surreal, you see this stuff in movies, shows, it never happens to you, _right_? Who could have known how wrong they were.

Brittany was the first to leave the choir room, her boyfriend quickly following her. The rest of the group stayed in the room, they couldn't get over what happened just yet. They checked their phones to see if everyone outside had been safe. Finn was relieved he finally got a text from Rachel.

**Finn: Rachel where are you, are you safe?**

**Rachel: I'm stuck in traffic with Kurt, what do you mean by safe? What happened?**

_Stuck in traffic. _Finn broke out in a nervous laugh. Traffic might be hell on a normal day, but today, traffic was a fucking blessing.

Blaine sat on the bench, typing out a text while he was still sobbing.

**Blaine: I love you, do u know that? I just need you to know that. I don't care about everything that's happened in the past. I love you.**

**Kurt: What's this about? What the hell is going on? Call me!**

Blaine started to dial Kurt's number. Next to him sat Mercedes, not saying a word. Even the talkative diva was speechless. She just cried until there were no tears left.

Mike and Tina were still in an embrace, as if they'd fall apart if they let go.

They all wanted to get out of the choir room, but for now they were just too scared about what they'd find. All they needed, right now, was each other.

* * *

Brittany and Sam quickly ran through the hallway as they scanned for any sign of the Latina.

The cops were still checking out the crime scene, one of them grabbed the blonde dancer. 'Excuse me miss, do you know what happened here?'

'Shooting… I need to… Can't talk…' the dancer mumbled, not making any sense. She couldn't be bothered by this right now. She managed to get loose from the man's hold and continued her search.

'Miss you need to go outside!' the cop called, but she was already gone.

'I need to be with her', Sam said to the cop before he left to follow her.

The blonde couple looked around nervously as they made their way around the school, now moving towards the entrance. Suddenly they noticed a trace of blood.

'Oh my god… Oh my god… I can't… I need to…' the blonde dancer struggled to breathe, she needed to find Santana right now, but she wasn't sure if she could handle it if the Latina was in fact… _It couldn't be. _

Sam didn't know what to say to console his girlfriend, he was just as scared.

They followed the dark red trace of blood, and there _she_ was.

The motionless body of the Latina, cradled by Quinn.

'She… She's, I found her… She was coming over to help me… I-I don't understand what happened…' Quinn sobbed, her ripped dress was covered in the Latina's blood.

Sam just stood there, still processing what he witnessed. _Was this real?_

The blonde dancer got down on her knees and started to run her hand through the Latina's hair. 'San… Wake up. Say something please… You can't leave us like this!' Brittany yelled in tears as she started shaking uncontrollably. She couldn't lose her friend, not when…

'The paramedics are on their way, she still has a pulse.' A cop suddenly said, Brittany and Sam hadn't noticed he was there. They were just too focused on their friend, their _dying_ friend. They were relieved to hear she was still alive, but it didn't look good.

None of it did.

* * *

Note: More quintana/brittana and some kurt/rachel/santana moments coming up. I am actually not too fond of Bram, but I wanted to keep it canon at least that much for now. And since Brittany seems to have some unresolved feelings for Santana, drama is bound to happen. I'll be posting another chapter soon :)


	4. Waiting

Everyone was now at the hospital, upset learning about the Latina being shot. She was rushed into the ER, and has been in surgery for over an hour. Quinn sat on the bench, tapping nervously with her fingers. _She has to be okay, she just… has to._

'How… did you find her? Was she… awake?' the blonde dancer asked, trying to fill the silence. She was a wreck, but she tried to keep it together.

Quinn looked up to find the worried girl looking at her in anticipation. 'N-no, she was out cold, I wasn't even sure if she was still alive…'

Brittany still couldn't believe this all happened. And _why _Santana? She didn't do anything wrong, she was just, _there_. The dancer couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the other blonde though, _she _wanted to be the one to be there for Santana.

'It's all my fault, you know. I-if I didn't ask her to come to the parking lot, she wouldn't have been there…' Quinn would never forgive herself if the Latina didn't make it. She started crying again.

'Quinn… You didn't know, y-you couldn't have…' The dancer put her hand on Quinn's shoulder trying to comfort the girl, but still kept a close eye on the door. It did occur to her, that Quinn was responsible for this. But that's not what matters right now, what matters is that the doctors will come walking out of that door soon, and they were going to tell them that the Latina was gonna be fine. Yet another part of her feared that they might not.

'Apple juice.' Sam came over and offered his girlfriend a drink. 'Ehm, they ran out of orange juice… Sorry…' he apologized even though he knew she couldn't care less about that now.

'Quinn?' the dancer asked.

The other blonde looked up. 'W-what is it Brit?' she managed to say between her sobs.

'Your dress… It's ripped.' The blonde stated, ignoring the fact that it was covered in the Latina's blood. She didn't want to think about the scene she walked onto that afternoon.

'I… It got stuck in my car door. When I heard gunfire I got worried… That maybe… Something happened to Santana, so I walked. I guess that's how it got ripped.'

The dancer nodded, but soon she realized something else. 'Why did you call her? And not someone else?'

The former head cheerio hesitated, not sure what to tell the girl. She could tell her that they've been seeing each other. However, she didn't want to complicate the situation, especially not now. Their relationship or if you can even call it that, was supposed to be fun. Just that, two people enjoying each other's... 'company'. Although she had to admit, it might be turning into a little more than that. But she sure as hell wasn't going to tell Brittany.

'I recognized her car, she was the only one I knew was already there for sure.'

The dancer accepted the answer and gave nod in understanding. Then she focused her eyes back on the door, squinting her eyes at it as if it'd make the door fly open. If only.

* * *

It's been three hours._ Three_ emotional wrecking hours.

Tina fell asleep on Mike's lap. Mike watched his girlfriend sleep, thankful she didn't get hurt.

A few feet further, Blaine was sipping coffee like crazy. He was tired, but he couldn't go to sleep, afraid of the nightmares he _knows_ will occur.

Sam was over at the vending machine, talking to Mercedes who was able to speak again now, they were both trying to make sense of what happened. He didn't know how to be around Brittany right now, he just couldn't handle it yet.

Finn was leaning against a wall, his feet barely keeping him up. He was worried about the Latina, but was grateful Rachel wasn't in the building when _it _went down. He let out a sigh and wanted to slide down the wall, but before he could do that he saw two familiar faces entering the room.

'Finn! Thank god you're alright!' Rachel pulled him into a hug, while Kurt did the same with Blaine.

After a long hug the little girl let go and gave Finn a worried look. 'Santana? How is she? Is she gonna be okay?'

Quinn and Brittany shot up at hearing the Latina's name.

'Ehm, she's still in surgery… We're waiting for the doctors to come out', Finn answered.

'Oh god, if she just would've come to Lima with us, this wouldn't have happened,' Kurt said while shaking his head, he was now standing next to Rachel and Finn. 'S-She… She said she didn't want to have to listen to ABBA and broadway songs all the way down here…' he smiled nervously. 'She said she was gonna go in her own car… We thought she was kidding but turns out she left early… She's so freakin stubborn. Damn it' Kurt mumbled, not knowing or caring if anyone was listening.

'Sounds like her', Quinn suddenly spoke, smiling at the thought of Santana complaining. It always annoyed her till no end, but right now she'd do anything to hear the Latina's voice again.

Brittany nodded, paying attention. She knew Santana could be annoying sometimes, well, a lot, but with Brittany… she was always kind. She didn't quite understand why, but it made her think of Santana as a sweet person. It made her realize that she loved the girl. Maybe... even still did? Before the blonde could get lost in her own thoughts again, they were all shaken awake by the sound of the door opening.

A doctor approached the group.

Rachel was the first to ask, 'How is she? Please, we need to know that she's alright.'

The doctor scratched his head, trying to formulate an answer. 'Miss Lopez has lost quite a lot of blood.'

The man hesitated, and the group couldn't help but get a little annoyed. Why do they always do this? Building up a story to some climax, while the damn doctors already know how it is.

For once, the doctor actually kept his medical terms to himself, and told them what they wanted to know, what they _needed _to know.

'It took us a while to stabilize her. The bullet went straight through her rib, but it looks it didn't hit any vital organs. However, we will keep a close eye on her in case of any other bleeding. For now, it looks like she is going to be fine. She just needs lots of rest.'

They all sighed in relief. The Latina wasn't completely in the clear, but _for now_, she was going to be fine.

'Is she awake? Can we see her?' Quinn asked anxiously. She needed to see the Latina, she couldn't handle not being with her any longer. This all made her realize something about her feelings for the girl.

_Shit_. _This is getting serious._

* * *

Note: So... Just so we're clear on this, Santana still lives with Rachel and Kurt. I really love that about the show right now, so I just had to add that. As for Finchel, they're not officially together... But they still care about each other or love each other whatever, blah blah. You know the drill. Not really gonna get into that much though, after all those seasons of Finchel, I just can't be bothered with it anymore.

Obviously I was inspired by the shooting star episode, but I'm still not really that into the new glee characters just yet. I decided to change the storyline, and follow some alternative paths.

Next chapter one person will get to visit Santana, guess you'll have to check it out if you want to know who it is.

Happy sunday people :)


	5. New Directions

_'Is she awake? Can we see her?'_

'She's still asleep, but she will wake up soon. She's in room 401, but I will allow only _one _visitor for now', the doctor answered.

Brittany and Quinn looked at each other, both hoping that one of them would let the other go.

'Brit… I know you guys have history… You care about her a lot, I get that. But I feel like it's my fault that she's in there, and I-I have to see that she's okay… Please?' Quinn begged as her heart was racing, she hoped the other blonde wouldn't suspect anything about their… Situation.

The dancer looked down in disappointment, but gave the other girl a nod after realizing it might be better this way. After all, she wasn't Santana's girlfriend anymore, right? She obviously wanted to see the Latina, but right now, it seemed like Quinn needed the reassurance that the girl was okay.

'Thank you.' Quinn said softly. She gave Brittany a smile and started to pace to the door.

'Hug her for me?' the dancer said as she watched the other girl walk away.

'And if she wakes up, please tell her we're all here for her,' Rachel added.

'I will, I promise.' Quinn said before she turned around again and entered the room.

* * *

Quinn walked into the room, and found the Latina still sleeping. She sat herself down at Santana's bedside.

_How did this all happen? _Quinn thought to herself. She wanted to know who fired the gun that nearly killed her friend, or sort of girlfriend, she was still unsure how to label it. However, she was saving those questions for later. Right now she needed the other girl to wake up.

She grabbed the Latina's hand, and remembered their last phone call. Their sudden change of plans made the girl rethink about their 'relationship'. The thought of the Latina dying was just unbearable. Quinn loved being around Santana. She couldn't think of anyone else she'd rather be with. Who knew, that what started as a 'two-time thing' would turn into… Well she lost count.

She wondered, would she want to be in a serious relationship with Santana? _The _Santana Lopez, the girl who was pretty much a guarantee for disaster. Above all that, she had never been with a girl before. All she knew was that whatever this is, it was so much more passionate than anything she's ever experienced. So yeah, they slap each other sometimes. They fight. But when they made up, it was… Amazing.

Suddenly the blonde heard a soft moan coming out of the dark haired girl, immediately she turned her head to find Santana slowly but surely opening her eyes.

'Hey sleepyhead.' Quinn said as she smiled in relief.

The Latina looked at her, her eyes flickering as she was still adjusting to the light.

'Hey gorgeous,' The Latina managed, her voice still sounding a bit raspy. 'Must've been one hell of a night, I feel like shit… What did we do?'

Quinn let out a chuckle as she ran her hand through the Latina's hair. 'We didn't do anything you idiot, it's not even the next day yet.' The blonde teased, happy to be doing _this_ again.

The Latina tried to laugh but winced at the pain in her lower abdomen.

'Take it easy, do you want some water?' the now worried looking blonde asked.

The Latina nodded as the other girl got up to bring her a glass of water.

'Q? What… What _did _happen?' the Latina looked at the blonde, hoping to get some answers.

Quinn looked down as she remembered finding Santana. 'I-I don't know… I heard gunfire and then I found you, lying on the floor unconsciously. God san, you were losing so much blood. I didn't think I'd ever –'

The blonde was stopped in her rant when she felt the Latina's warm hand cup her face.

'I'm fine now okay. It's… It's okay.' Santana tried to calm the girl down and gave her a comforting smile. 'Come lay with me.'

The blonde did as she was asked, and placed herself next to the injured Latina.

'San…'

'Hmm..?' the Latina answered, still enjoying the blonde lying next to her again.

'Do you… Do you remember anything?' Quinn said softly as she looked into the dark haired girl's eyes.

'I…' the Latina hesitated, trying to remember what went down. 'I don't know, I remember walking to the parking lot…' she struggled to recollect her memories.

'I was almost at the door… And then I felt this shooting pain… I heard someone run off, and then it all went dark.' The Latina stared up at the ceiling, frustrated about the fact that she didn't know more.

Quinn nodded, and gave the Latina a kiss on the cheek. 'You're safe now S.'

The Latina let out a sigh. 'What would I do without you?'

'You'd miss me.' The blonde answered, now grinning.

'I'd miss our fun nights together.' The Latina smiled.

'Me too. And when you're better, I will show you just... how much.' The blonde said softly as she moved closer to the Latina.

'Wanky... So... How about a preview?' the Latina pouted, not wanting to wait that long.

Quinn playfully raised an eyebrow and smiled, accepting the challenge. She lowered herself to press her lips against the Latina's as she pulled her into a passionate kiss.

When the blonde came up for air she struggled to think clearly. 'San... This reminds me…'

'What is it Q?' the Latina asked, wondering what the other girl had to say.

'Do you think we need to tell Brittany about this?'

The Latina let out a sigh. 'I... Yeah… I think so.'

Before Quinn managed to respond she was interrupted by the Latina. 'Q… What exactly… Is _this_?'

The blonde wasn't really sure of how to answer that. She _thinks _she wants to be with Santana… But she wasn't even sure about how Santana would feel about this, about _her_. 'I don't know. I mean, I know I care for you… And I guess today, made me realize I don't want to lose whatever it is we have. I need you S.'

Santana wasn't really prepared for this. But what the hell, she wasn't prepared for any of the things that happened today. 'I think... I think I wanna be with you too. But I need to talk to Brittany first.'

The blonde nodded in agreement. She was a bit worried about how Brittany would react, but she was happy that she could give this thing with Santana a try. She gave the Latina another kiss on the lips.

'What are we getting ourselves into...' Quinn whispered.

Santana shook her head. 'I don't know. But I'm liking it so far...'

The blonde smiled. They both didn't know exactly where this was going, but_ fuck_, they just went with it, and it felt_ damn good_.

'Where is everybody anyway?' the Latina asked after a while.

'They're outside, Rachel and Kurt are there too. They're all really worried about you.' the blonde responded.

'Can you tell them I'm okay? And... Tell Brittany, I want to talk to her.' Santana said in a rather serious tone.

'You sure you wanna do this now?' Quinn asked, not even sure herself if she was ready to face the consequences.

The Latina nodded.

'Yeah, _it's now or never._'

* * *

**Note**: If you think it's over you're wrong. The genre says drama, so drama it will be. Luckily it also says romance, and Santana will definitely not be missing out on any action. Next chapter: Santana will talk to Brittany, however, it doesn't exactly go the way the Latina thought it would go.


	6. Confessions

**Note: **First of all, my heart goes out to Boston and all its victims, still can't believe that happened.

So I just wanted to address some comments (thank you for the sweet reviews by the way). Well, first off, sorry about the cliffhangers haha, but I have to do _something _to make you wanna keep reading. And about the shooter, you'll find out who it is. But right now, it's all about the Quinntana/Brittana drama. Speaking of... Here you go, the next chapter.

* * *

Brittany sat on the bench, waiting for Quinn to come out of the Latina's room. She started to regret letting the other blonde go first, she really wanted to see Santana, _now. _It scared her a little, how bad she wanted to be in the room with her. It scared her that Sam hadn't been on her mind ever since she found Santana in Quinn's arms. She was confused, and needed to sort out her feelings. Seeing the Latina might just help her do that.

Suddenly the door opened as Quinn walked out of the room. The former glee club members walked up to her, waiting for the girl to tell them how the Latina was.

'She's awake, she seems to be doing alright.' The blonde reported.

They all sighed in relief.

'Oh right, Kurt, Rachel, she asked if you guys wanted to pick up her car, since it's still in the parking lot… She'd go crazy if it got stolen.' Quinn said, giving them an apologetic look.

'Just woke up from a near death experience, and she's already bossing us around. Good to know she's doing okay.' Kurt said as he let out a laugh.

'I guess we better get going then.' Rachel spoke, looking tired. No wonder, they've been stuck in traffic all day. But their day wasn't nearly as bad as Santana's, so she figured she could do this one thing for the Latina.

As Kurt and Rachel left to fetch the Latina her car, the rest of the group got ready to leave as well. It was late, and it's been a heck of a long day. They were still shaken, but found relief in knowing the Latina was alive and awake.

'Tell her we're coming by tomorrow okay?' Mercedes said before she left.

The group walked out, leaving Quinn, Sam and Brittany.

'You can go too, you know… You look sleepy.' The blonde dancer whispered to her boyfriend.

'You're staying? I-I can wait for you,' Sam stuttered, not wanting to leave his girlfriend behind. Or rather, leave his girlfriend behind, with her _ex. _He was always a bit insecure when it came to Santana, but he didn't worry about it much before since the girl was living in New York. Yet now she's here, and there's something about the way his girlfriend has been behaving…

'I need to see her. I'll be okay without you, don't worry.' The blonde assured him.

Sam nodded, with a somewhat painful expression on his face. _I'll be okay without you_. He knew the blonde probably didn't mean it that way, but it left him feeling a little hurt. Nonetheless, he grabbed his jacket and went out, leaving Brittany and Quinn behind.

'So… Santana said she wanted to talk to you.' Quinn said softly, giving the dancer a sympathetic look.

'I want to talk to her too.' The dancer replied, receiving a bit of a worried look from the other girl.

'She's waiting for you.'

* * *

Brittany walked to the door, taking a deep breath before she entered the room.

'Hey britbrit.' Santana smiled as the dancer walked in.

'San, oh my god I'm so happy you're okay!' the blonde said, now ecstatic to see Santana awake again. She moved in for a hug, getting a pained expression from the Latina in response. She was alive, but it all still hurt.

When Brittany realized she hurt the Latina she stepped back, apologizing for not considering the girl's injury. 'I-I'm so sorry, I was just so happy to see you, I –'

'It's fine brit, really.' Santana tried to assure the other girl. 'Listen… I need to talk to you.'

'Yeah Quinn told me. What is it San?' the blonde asked, now curious at what the Latina had to say.

'So… I told you guys, that I… Sorta met someone.'

Brittany nodded with a bit of a hurt look on her face, but she stayed quiet, waiting for the Latina to continue.

'Well, it might be a little bit more serious than I thought. We've been together a lot lately, and… I don't know, I feel like I should tell you that we want to give this relationship a try.' Santana said, trying to sound as gentle as she could.

The blonde didn't know what to say. She felt like she should tell the Latina to… Well to _not _do this. But what the hell could she say? She was with Sam now, Santana was just moving on. Who was _she _to say that she couldn't?

'That's… Great.' The blonde managed.

'Wait, there's more.' The Latina continued, however looking hesitant. She didn't want to tell Brittany, but she knew she had to. The dancer deserved that much.

_Great, _Brittany thought to herself. 'What's that?'

'You know her.' Santana sighed, preparing herself for the confession.

'Who…?' Brittany asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer to that question.

The Latina remained silent for a moment, but after a few long breaths, she finally brought herself to do it.

'It's Quinn.'

The blondes heart sank as she heard the words come out of the Latina's mouth. Jealousy couldn't describe what she was feeling right now.

'Y – You can't…' the blonde said barely audible, tears now forming in her eyes.

The Latina knew Brittany wouldn't like it, but she didn't expect _this_.

'I can't? What do you mean brit?' she replied, trying to figure out what the blonde was getting at.

'You can't, because… Because I –' Brittany struggled to find the words.

'Because you _what_, brit?' the Latina asked, now getting a bit impatient. But before she knew it, she got her answer. Suddenly she felt Brittany's lips pressed up against hers. As soon as she realized what was going on, she pulled back.

'No. This is not fair brit. You… You can't do that. I told you I wanted to be with you and you chose Sam!' the Latina yelled, now fighting back tears.

'I… But… But I love you San. I –' the blonde tried to argue.

'I can't do this. Get out.' The Latina said while looking away.

'No, I need to talk to you, just –'

'Please brit. I can't. Not now.' Santana hated seeing Brittany cry, but she couldn't handle this right now. Those feelings she put away for such a long time… They all came rushing back with that one kiss. She needed time to think.

The blonde gave her one last glance before she turned around and left the room in tears.

As the dancer left, Quinn's head popped up at the door. She was shocked to find the Latina crying.

'San…_ What happened_?'


	7. Kiss And Tell

**Note: **Didn't expect me back so soon, right? Ha, well usually I have chapter ready around this time, but I decide to save it for the next day. But today I just wanna throw it out there early, just because I hope this clears the air a little about where this story is headed.

* * *

_'San…? What happened?' _Quinn asked, worried about the Latina.

Santana had no idea what to tell the girl. The other blonde's visit had confused her, _a lot._ She couldn't answer the question, so she didn't say anything.

Quinn moved over to the Latina, trying to close the distance between them. 'San please, talk to me.' She whispered softly as she attempted to comfort the girl.

'She… She kissed me. She kissed me Q.'

The blonde's mouth fell open as she heard the words come out. She shouldn't be that surprised. Of course, Santana still loved Brittany.

'Did you kiss her back?' Quinn asked, trying to assure herself that it wasn't a big deal.

'No, I pulled away!' the Latina responded, now realizing she hadn't even considered Quinn's feelings in all of this, she was too confused about her own.

'Did you want to?' The blonde tried to sound calm, yet her heart was racing. She wasn't used to this feeling, she never felt this… _Jealous_.

'I – I don't know Quinn… Maybe…' the Latina admitted.

Now it was Quinn who was left speechless.

'Quinn… Say something,' the Latina begged.

'I have to go, this… _This_ was a mistake.' The blonde said, holding back tears as she got up.

'Q please, can we talk?' the Latina didn't want to leave things this way, she might be confused but she wasn't ready to let go of what she had with Quinn.

The blonde didn't respond and closed the door, leaving a regretful Santana behind. Maybe she shouldn't have told her. Maybe… _How did we get into this mess?_

* * *

The next day Santana woke up in pain. Yesterday had drained her, physically, emotionally. She barely slept and was in a bad mood.

'Damn it, what does a girl have to do to get some painkillers around here!' the Latina yelled, trying to get the nurse's attention.

One of the nurses walked in. 'S-Sorry, I'll get them right now.' She said while giving a apologetic look, not wanting to upset the Latina even more. As she left the room, Kurt and Rachel walked in.

'Santana I'm so glad to see you're awake! You really scared us you know.' Rachel said as she approached the injured girl.

'Calm your tits Berry, I'm fine.' The Latina growled, not even bothering to consider how worried everyone was.

'Geez, what's up with you? And… _What _did you do to that nurse? She looked scared.' Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow.

'She just needs to get me my fucking painkillers. Dying over here.' The Latina said angrily as she saw the now pained expressions on Rachel and Kurt's face. She realized this was probably not the best choice of words. 'I – I'm sorry.' she apologized.

Kurt nodded and let out a sigh, 'so what happened?'

The Latina struggled to contain her annoyance, that question was starting to drive her crazy. She doesn't _know_ what the hell happened, she doesn't know who the fuck shot her, she doesn't know why, she doesn't know why Brittany suddenly kissed her, she doesn't know if she lost Quinn, she doesn't know _anything. _She just shook her head.

'Is it… Quinn?' Rachel said softly, receiving a surprised look from the Latina.

'What? What are you getting at Rachel…' The Latina gave the girl a curious frown. _Do they know?_

'We're your roommates. You can't hide anything from us.' The little diva glanced at Santana, hoping she wouldn't freak out at them.

'You knew? How…' the Latina asked, struggling to find the words.

'For God's sake Santana, our bedrooms don't have doors! We have curtains. Of course we found out about you two.' Kurt blurted out, rolling his eyes.

And all this time, Santana thought she was good at keeping secrets. She let out a little laugh, realizing how stupid she was. _They knew. How could they not?_

'I think it's sweet.' Rachel said with a subtle smile.

'More like bittersweet…' The Latina let out a sigh.

'Why? What's going on?' Rachel asked, trying to figure out what could've happened.

Santana took a deep breath while she debated about whether or not to explain what went down. But what the hell, who else did she have to talk to right now? God, she made both of the girls who she loved most cry. What a night.

'Brittany kissed me.' The Latina admitted, earning herself an awed expression from both diva's in response.

'But, she's with Sam right?' Kurt said, trying to make sense of it.

'What did she say?' Rachel asked, anxious to find out where this was heading.

'She… She told me she loves me.' _Loves. _The Latina thought, present tense. This wasn't fair, before Brittany walked in the room she was doing just fine. And now...

'Wow… So… Do you love _her_?' Rachel gave the Latina a sympathetic look. She knew this couldn't be easy for her, she watched Santana pick up the pieces after Brittany rejected her. Santana didn't talk about it much, but Rachel knew it hurt her. After all, she came all the way to New York to avoid her feelings for the dancer, the feelings that last night's visit just brought up again.

'I will always love Brittany. But I don't know, it's different with Quinn. I just… I don't want to lose her.' The Latina admitted.

'Then tell her.'

Kurt's advice was simple, but it was something the Latina took for granted before. She knew this was a messy situation, and she wasn't sure about where it was headed. But she figured out one thing.

She should never have let Quinn walk out that door.

* * *

Quinn was in her car. She was on her way back to New Haven, but she was just too distracted to drive, so she pulled over. As she rested her head on the steering wheel, she heard a buzz. She looked up to find a text. It was from Santana.

**_Don't go. I want you. I need you. I don't know how we got into this mess, but I love you._**


	8. House Call

_I love you too_, the blonde wanted to respond. Yet she didn't. Their conversation last night made it pretty clear that Santana still had feelings for Brittany. Quinn didn't want to be that person. The one who stood in the middle of them, setting herself up to get hurt.

She took a deep breath. She realized she was too tired to drive all the way back to New Haven, so she decided she was gonna crash at her mom's house.

As she pulled up the car in front of her house, she saw that her mom's car wasn't there. _Oh right, she's off to work_, the blonde realized. She didn't mind though, she could use some alone time. She entered the living room, and let herself fall on the couch. She managed to find a comfortable position and tried to fall asleep. But she couldn't. Santana was still on her mind. _Maybe I should go see her_… Quickly she shook away the thought, reminding herself that she was just setting herself up for disaster. She closed her eyes, slowly sinking into sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Rachel and Kurt just left the hospital and went out to get lunch. As they sat at the table, Kurt received a text from Mercedes.

**Where the hell is Santana? We're at the hospital to visit her, but she's not here! Kurt she's gone!**

Kurt's mouth flew open. Rachel noticed this, 'what is it?' she asked.

'It's… It's from Mercedes, she said Santana's gone.' Kurt said, still confused.

'Gone? What do you mean _gone_, we were just there!' Rachel started to panic.

'I–I know, where the hell could she have –' Kurt stopped mid-sentence, when the realization hit him._ She took his advice._

'Quinn! She went to see Quinn, oh god…'

* * *

Quinn was fast asleep on the couch, but a sudden knock on the door shook her wide awake. She figured she'd just wait until it would go away, not wanting to get up. But this person at Quinn's door was persistent as hell. She let out a sigh, before she got up to open the door.

'God are you gonna keep knock – What the hell?!' the blonde's jaw dropped at the sight of Santana, panting as she leaned against the wall.

'Santana, what… You shouldn't be here!' before the blonde could scold the girl she found herself bracing her as the Latina struggled to stand.

'Did you… Did you get my text?' the Latina managed, trying to stand up again so that she could face the blonde.

'You're an idiot, you know that?' Quinn said, a small smile appearing on her face. 'How did you even know I was here?'

'I guessed.' The Latina simply said.

'You… guessed? You made it all the way down here like that… And you didn't even –'

'You're here Q.' Santana cut off the blonde.

'Yeah, and _you_ shouldn't be, we need to get you back to the hospital. What were you thinking?' Quinn said, still not believing that Santana was actually here. _How did she even manage to get here in that state?_

'I was thinking about _you_ Quinn.' The Latina said as she recollected herself, preparing for what she was about to say.

The blonde nodded, letting the other girl finish.

'I don't want to lose you. When you walked out… I feel like you took a part of me with you. I shouldn't have let you go Q, I know this won't be easy but… I have to try, because... I love you, Quinn Fabray.' Santana looked at the other girl, pleading for a response.

'God, you're impossible San… You escape the hospital, you… you show up at my doorstep, try to sweep me off my feet and –'

'Did I? Sweep you off your feet?' the Latina said softly as she moved closer to the blonde.

Quinn felt Santana's breath down her neck, and let out a sigh. 'Yeah, you did.' She replied with a soft smile, before moving in for a passionate kiss.

The blonde noticed Santana was starting to shiver. 'San, we need to get you back to the hospital.'

The Latina nodded in agreement. She knew she probably shouldn't have left. She didn't even bother to take the painkillers, something she now painfully regretted.

Quinn helped Santana get in the car, and couldn't help but wonder…

'What about Brittany?' she asked out loud, her insecurities about the other blonde getting the best of her again.

The question caught Santana off guard a little, though she knew she'd have to answer it sooner or later. 'I want you, Quinn. I love Brittany, probably always will. But not the way that I love you. I mean it Q, I wanna be with _you_.' the Latina confessed, earning herself a small grin from the blonde.

Quinn nodded. 'Good, cause I don't like to share.' she whispered, as she gave the Latina one last kiss on the lips before she took place in the driver's seat.

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctors were by Santana's side in the blink of an eye. Obviously the hospital was aware of their escaped patient.

'Miss, I recommend you not to do that again. Your recovery will only take longer, and not even to mention all the things that could've happened on your little trip outside. We're gonna keep a close eye on you. Well anyhow, we'll give you some painkillers, you look like you could use them.' The doctor spoke before he left the room.

'How are you feeling?' the blonde asked, also noticing the pained look on Santana's face.

'Like shit. But what else's new. Besides, it was totally worth it.' Santana said as a small smile formed on her face.

'Yeah, it was. But don't ever do that again, or I'll kill you myself.' The blonde threatened playfully.

As she checked her phone, Quinn suddenly noticed a ton of missed calls and texts.

**Kurt: is Santana with you? She's not at the hospital!**

**Rachel: please tell me Santana's with you, we're worried!**

**Mercedes: have you seen Santana? She's gone Quinn! She's GONE!**

And a shitload of other texts in similar fashion.

'I should probably go tell them you're alright,' the blonde said before she got up to leave the room to call their friends.

'Don't stay away too long babe,' The Latina said with a smirk on her face.

Quinn returned a warm smile.

_'I'm not going anywhere.'_

* * *

**Note: **Happy stuff, Quinntana fluff. This ain't the end though, Brittany is still left with unsorted feelings. Speaking of unsorted, I might start spending a little time trying to clear up who the shooter is. Honestly, in the end it's not the main thing of this story, but I need to resolve this. Hints coming up soon, as well as more Quinntana/Brittana drama. You didn't think it was _that _easy right?


	9. I Must Be Insane

**Note:** I guess I feel like I should explain what the deal is. I actually didn't want to spoil the story, but I don't want to mislead any hardcore Brittana fans, so... Yeah, _Quinntana endgame_ (in case you hadn't noticed already). However, I like Brittany, and I thought Brittana was cute. But I realized Quinntana offers so much more depth, and I love a complex story. Brittany will definitely not disappear from the story, I'd find it kinda rude to destroy the unholy trinity friendship just like that, although shit obviously needs to be worked out. That'll be all :)

* * *

**7 AM.**

Quinn was wide awake as she laid down next to her girlfriend. Today was the day Santana would finally get released from the hospital. The blonde felt like them being in the outside world, was going to be the _real _start of their relationship. She was excited, but couldn't help but be a little scared too. After all, this was Santana. A girl she argued with how many times? A year ago she would have laughed at the thought of her being with the Latina. Never would she have thought she'd be feeling the way she did right now. The shooting brought them even closer together, but Quinn worried, was it all just because of Santana's near death experience? She let out a sigh, deciding she could worry about this later. She watched the girl next to her sleep. _God she's beautiful, _the blonde thought to herself. It was as if the Latina heard her thoughts, she suddenly let out a yawn as she slowly opened her eyes to find Quinn staring at her.

'Morning…' the blonde whispered.

'Creepy much… Are you gonna do this every night?' the Latina joked, while letting out another yawn.

'You're cute when you sleep,' Quinn admitted.

'What do I look like when I'm awake?' A curious frown formed on the Latina's face.

'Well you're annoying. But I love you anyway.' The blonde said before leaning in for a kiss.

'Some twisted love we have Fabray…' Santana realized it was weird, her being with Quinn. But the Latina couldn't care less right now, it just felt so good.

'I must be insane.' the blonde smiled.

The Latina squinted her eyes at the other girl, shaking her head. 'You should talk less,' she playfully hinted.

Quinn got the hint, as she leaned forward for another long kiss. 'Is this… what you want?' the blonde whispered, now close to Santana's ear.

'God yes Q.'

* * *

Quinn was waiting in line at the hospital cafeteria. Santana was starting to complain about being hungry, and honestly, the blonde could use some food herself. So she decided to get them breakfast. It was weird, when she came by in New York she rarely bothered to eat breakfast after spending the night. They were too busy sneaking around. It was exciting, which it was all it was supposed to be. Yet somewhere along the way, feelings got involved.

'Quinn?'

The blonde turned around at hearing her name, to find a certain other blonde facing her.

'Brit…' she managed. She wanted to be angry at the girl. But it was hard. Brittany looked like she hadn't slept in days, and Quinn couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She remembered seeing her leave the Latina's room in tears.

'I – I'm sorry.' the dancer apologized, although she wasn't sure of what part exactly she was sorry about.

'You should be apologizing to Sam.' Quinn said, not wanting to get into this conversation with the dancer.

'I broke up with him…'

This news caught Quinn off guard. What did this mean? Was she gonna go after Santana now?

'You what?' she asked, trying to confirm what she just heard.

'It wasn't right.' The dancer responded, looking the other blonde in the eyes as if she wanted to say more.

_No shit, _Quinn thought to herself, recalling the fact that Brittany kissed her girlfriend. Well it wasn't exactly her girlfriend _yet_ at that moment, so maybe she should cut the other girl some slack.

'So… Now what?'

'I love Santana.' The dancer bluntly admitted.

Quinn's mouth dropped open, not knowing how to react to this situation.

Brittany wasn't the kind of girl to be subtle. She always said what she thought, something which could be seen as a good thing, but right now, Quinn really wished she hadn't said that. Hearing that confession out loud made this situation all the more complicated.

'You didn't want her before, when you chose Sam over her.' She said, trying to defend her girlfriend.

'That was a mistake…' the dancer said softly, it was obvious she felt bad about all of this. But what good was gonna come from this confession?

'A mistake?' Quinn huffed, 'So you just hurt her like that, and like a year later you decide that it was a mistake? Big mistake, yeah. You know what, I'm not… I'm not gonna get into this –' Quinn said, now getting angry at the other blonde. As she prepared to walk away, Brittany tried to pull her back.

'I know what I did was bad Quinn, but I really care about her!' the dancer tried to get through to the other blonde.

'She's with me now brit.' Quinn said trying to sound confident, as if she was trying to convince herself. She was definitely worried about how Santana would react to this. The girl that the Latina has wanted all along…? now broke up with Sam, and is telling Quinn that she wants to be with Santana. She wasn't ready to think about this, and she decided to walk away. But as she took a few steps towards the elevator, Brittany asked,

'do you love her?'

Quinn halted, her expression softening up a bit.

'I – I think I do. Yeah.' Saying these words still scared Quinn, it put her in a vulnerable position, and she didn't like that. But she chose to be with Santana, and she wasn't planning to let go of their newfound love anytime soon. She gave the other girl one last glance before getting into the elevator that now had arrived. As the doors were closing, which of course seemed to take longer than it usually did, she caught Brittany looking at her in defeat. Was she gonna let this go? It surely would make the beginning of her relationship with the Latina a lot easier if she was. But she knew, nothing about being with Santana was easy.

_So... Was it worth it?_


	10. Leaving

'What happened to breakfast?' Santana asked as Quinn walked back into the room.

'Oh, right…' the blonde dryly replied. After her little encounter with Brittany, she forgot all about why she was there in the first place. 'Sorry,' she apologized.

'What's going on?' the Latina asked, noticing the weird look her girlfriend's face.

'I ran into Brittany.' The blonde admitted, now looking at Santana. She didn't want to tell her the rest, but she knew she couldn't hide this from her either. She deserved to know.

Santana was silent for a moment, hearing Brittany's name… It still hurt.

'What did she say…?' the Latina asked carefully, not wanting come across too curious.

'She broke up with Sam. She said he was a mistake…'

The Latina swallowed, realizing what the blonde was trying to say. A year ago, she would've jumped at this opportunity. This was what she wanted… _Then_. It's been so long, and then Quinn came into the picture and took her breath away. It still pained her to see Brittany with Sam, so she couldn't help but be a little relieved to hear that they broke up… But it wasn't going to change anything. She found herself getting somewhat angry at the blonde, _what was she thinking? _She thought she could just wave her magic wand and that she and Santana would be walking off into the sunset? No, that's not how it works. Santana was ready to share her love with someone who loved her back just as much. Someone who wouldn't let her down. She was ready to be with _Quinn_. Even though Quinn looked like she could use some convincing right now. The Latina hasn't said a word since Quinn's confession.

'Sorry,' the Latina shook her head, 'I needed time to process this…'

'What are you thinking...' Quinn was scared to ask, but she had to know.

The Latina took a deep breath before she started to speak. 'It doesn't change anything Q. I'm not gonna lie, I'm happy they broke up, he wasn't right for her. But I'm not gonna leave you, I want to be with you Quinn. I mean it.'

The Latina's little speech got to the blonde, she believed that Santana actually wanted to be with her. She was gonna let this go for now. She just wanted to leave the damn hospital with her girlfriend, and leave this whole situation behind with it.

'I wanna be with you too…' the blonde said softly.

'Get your ass over here.' The Latina smiled.

Quinn did as she was told and lied down next to her girlfriend. Santana wrapped her arms around the blonde, and planted a kiss on her cheek. 'You know I'm serious, right?' she asked.

Quinn nodded, and let out a little chuckle. 'Who knew Santana Lopez was such a lover.'

'Oh baby I'm not just a lover, I'm a giver.' The Latina teased.

Quinn bit her lip, trying to keep the dirty thoughts to herself.

'So… When do you get to get out of here?' the blonde hinted, scanning the Latina's body as if she was trying to think of all the things she'd do to her.

Suddenly they heard the doctor clearing his throat. 'Excuse me, ladies...'

'Hi there,' The Latina said with a big grin on her face, she was proud to show off her new girlfriend. Although Quinn was obviously less comfortable with the situation, and she quickly got up.

'Can I go now?' the Latina asked anxiously. She had enough of the hospital, she hated the smell, the food, all of it. She just wanted to go home.

'In a hurry are we? You might miss this place,' the doctor tried to joke. He saw Santana rolling her eyes and decided just to get to the point.

'Right. Well you need to pick up your prescriptions, but then you're good to go. Just remember, take it easy. Your rib is still fractured, so I highly recommend you to refrain from any heavy physical activities for at least another four weeks. That also gives some extra time for your wound to heal properly. So, lots of rest. That will be all.' The doctor said with a smile before leaving the room.

'Finally, I am so ready to get out of here.' Santana got up, a little too quickly before letting herself sink back onto the bed.

Immediately Quinn was by her side.

'Take it easy the doctor just told you, are you just gonna ignore everything he just said?' the blonde asked, getting a little annoyed at the Latina's carelessness.

'I think I might have to…' the Latina said in a husky voice.

A small grin appeared on Quinn's face, 'you're such a perv.'

The Latina huffed, 'Oh shut up Q, here I am, trying to be romantic and you just ruin the mo –' before she knew it, Quinn was all over her. As they kissed Quinn moved down to her neck, earning herself a light moan from the Latina. 'Let's… get out of here…' The Latina whispered between breaths.

* * *

As they made their way to the exit, Santana couldn't help but look around. All the people that were still in here… The Latina felt lucky she got to leave. She could have ended up in a coma, or even worse… She quickly changed the thought, not wanting to think about how bad this could've ended. She was alive, and that's all that matters.

Suddenly Quinn stopped walking. She pointed in the direction of the window in the room across the hall. Santana looked over.

'Isn't that… the lunchlady from school?' Quinn tried to see if it was really her.

'You're right. I wonder what happened to her… Maybe she got hurt in the shooting too?' the Latina wondered while reminiscing about their lunchtimes in the cafeteria at McKinley High. Even though the food she served was garbage, it was a nice lady, the Latina thought to herself.

'I think she's in a coma or something. She doesn't look like she's been awake in pretty long time,' The blonde stated.

'Hmm…' the Latina managed, before they started walking again. Seeing the lunchlady in such a lifeless form, made the Latina once again realize how lucky she was. She got off pretty easily.

'What are you thinkin about?' the blonde asked, noticing the other girl getting lost in her thoughts.

'Just thinking about how lucky I am.' The Latina smiled at her girlfriend.

'Well you might be getting luckier tonight.' The blonde teased.

'Getting cocky Fabray?' the Latina playfully raised an eyebrow.

'Oh shut up you love it.'

'Yes, _I. Do.'_

* * *

**Note: **I'll leave the happy couple alone for just a bit, I mean, it kills me to have to mess it up all the time. But we wouldn't have a story if it was all sunshine rainbows and unicorns and all that (I don't know if that makes sense, I've never been good at sayings).


	11. I Told You

It's been two weeks since Santana was released from the hospital. She was happy to be back in New York with Kurt and Rachel, although she missed Quinn. The blonde took another week off from college to stay with Santana, but she had to return some time. Santana hadn't really figured out how this was going to work, in the end it was the long distance thing that killed her relationship with Brittany. Or so she thought. She couldn't help but think about Brittany, and how she left things back in Lima. She wasn't ready to face her yet though, not after that confession.

'You want some coffee?' Rachel asked as she kneeled down beside her.

'No thanks, I'm good,' the Latina replied with a small smile.

'Are you?' Rachel gave her a worried look. 'I mean, you've been sitting there all day.'

Santana hadn't realized how long she'd been sitting on the couch. But it wasn't like she could do much else considering the fact that the doctor told her to rest. And the fact that Quinn told her she'd get mad if she caught the Latina not taking the doctor's advice. She let out a sigh and looked up at Rachel.

'I'm just bored… And you guys are always at NYADA, and Quinn's back in New Haven…'

'You miss Quinn.'

The Latina nodded before letting herself slump further down the couch.

'How about we watch a movie tonight? Just you, me and Kurt,' Rachel offered.

'I'd like that,' the Latina replied softly. 'No musicals though,' she said as a smirk formed on her face.

'Fine,' Rachel said as she let out a chuckle before walking over to the kitchen.

'So how's it been, at NYADA anyways?' the Latina asked while Rachel prepared her own coffee.

'Great, I mean I really think I'm getting better, even at the dance classes. You should come watch some time.'

The Latina laughed, 'You really think they'd let me in again after my little rendez-vous with Brody there? I mean, they weren't too happy about me disturbing dance class. Besides, that's your thing. I needs to do my own thing.'

'So… What is _your _thing? And please don't tell me you were planning to be a bartender for the rest of your life,' Rachel said as she walked back over to Santana and sat herself down next to the Latina.

Santana looked at Rachel, almost hurt. 'What's wrong with that.'

'I'm just saying, you can do so much better. I hate to see you let your talent go to waste.'

The Latina nodded before she looked away again. 'I just… I don't know… College just wasn't for me. When I came here, I always figured, I'd find something I'd like sooner or later.'

'We'll help you figure it out,' Rachel said as she gave the other girl a smile.

Suddenly the Latina heard her phone buzz. Her face lit up as soon as she saw it was a text from Quinn.

**Quinn: Still taking it easy? I need you in good shape when I come over.**

**Santana: Care to elaborate?**

**Quinn: You know what I mean.**

**Santana: I sure hope so. I miss you.**

**Quinn: I miss you too, I hate that I can't be there with you. Are Rachel and Kurt taking good care of you?**

**Santana: I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself.**

**Quinn: My stubborn girlfriend.**

**Santana: Your stubborn girlfriend who misses you, a lot. When are you coming over?**

**Quinn: Sooner than you think.**

**Santana: When's that?**

**Quinn: I'm on my way.**

A huge smile appeared on the Latina's face, she couldn't wait to see Quinn. It's only been a few days, but it felt like forever. _Tonight_, she thought to herself.

'Someone just put you in a good mood,' Rachel said with a grin on her face.

'Shut up,' the Latina replied, trying to contain her smile. 'Oh right… So about tonight, is it okay if Quinn joins us?'

'Quinn's coming over? Oh my god of course she can join us! No wonder you're in a good mood,' Rachel teased while squinting her eyes at the Latina.

Santana rolled her eyes and let out a laugh. She didn't care about everyone seeing how happy she was, if she could she'd tell the whole world about her and Quinn.

'Rach?' the Latina asked as she looked at the little diva.

'What is it?'

'I want to do something special for Quinn. She's really been there for me these past few weeks, and I already feel bad she has to come all the way over here again, I just… I thought I'd prepare dinner. With candles and stuff… Can you help me?' the Latina said as she shyly looked away.

Another smile appeared on Rachel's face. She'd never seen this side of Santana, the _soft _side. 'O-Ofcourse I'll help you! But I'm an awful cook. I can help you with the candles though. And the flowers, and the music and the –' Rachel was cut off by the Latina.

'Whoa, easy Berry. Let's not go overboard here.'

Rachel nodded silently, her eyes still sparkling as she tried to hide her excitement. Santana noticed this.

'Please stop looking at me like that.'

Rachel gave the girl another nod. 'You guys are just so adorable together.'

The Latina rolled her eyes again. 'Let's just get started okay?'

* * *

The table was set. There were even roses with the candles, Santana didn't want to overdo it, but Rachel convinced her. Hell, _she deserves it_, the Latina thought. Rachel left to fetch dinner outside with Kurt, obviously so that Santana would have some alone time with her girlfriend. _Quinn could be here any minute._

Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. Santana was up in no time, wincing at the pain as she rushed to the door. She didn't care though, she just needed to see Quinn. When she opened the door, her smile turned into a gasp. A blonde stood at her doorstep, but it wasn't the blonde she was expecting.

'Brittany? What… What are you doing here?' the Latina managed, still stunned. All day she'd been preparing for tonight, but _this _she didn't see coming.

'I need to talk to you,' the blonde said in a serious tone.

'If you got something to say, just say it,' the Latina responded, now starting to feel angry again. She didn't need this.

'I can't sleep. I've been thinking about you and about how I almost lost you that day of the shooting. I need you San, I want to be with you,' the blonde stated, lacking subtlety as always.

'Brit I told you, I'm with –'

Before she could finish her sentence she once again felt Brittany's lips pressed up against hers. She quickly pulled away, noticing another girl standing ten feet away from the door.

'Quinn…'

* * *

**Note: **So I lied. Well not exactly, I told you I'd leave the happy couple alone for _a bit, _and that's what I did. Honestly I never meant to make Brittany the bad guy here, but I guess somehow it always turns out that way. I promise I'll fix it though, I love the unholy trinity friendship too much to let it all just crash and burn. Anyways, have a nice sunday :)


	12. Should've Known

_'Quinn…'_

The Latina tried to chase her girlfriend as she ran away from the scene, but the pain in her lower abdomen slowed her down.

When Quinn noticed that Santana had stopped running she kept going. She was exhausted from the long drive to New York, but she figured it'd be worth it. Until this moment. _How could she do this? _All the insecurities about her and Brittany… This was all the proof she needed. Once she was far enough she stopped and leaned herself against a wall. Tears kept running down her face. _It was Santana for God's sake, how was I so stupid? _She should've seen this coming, she thought to herself.

* * *

As Santana walked back inside she found that Brittany was still there. Words couldn't describe how mad she was at the blonde, but she still couldn't bear herself to yell at the girl. So she didn't say anything.

'San? I… I don't know what to say…'

The Latina gave her a glance before she walked over to the kitchen. She opened the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

'Please say something…' the blonde pleaded.

The Latina turned around and started pouring herself the drink.

'What do you want me to say Brit? That it's gonna be okay? 'Cause I just don't know right now. I really don't.'

'I'm sorry,' was all the blonde could say.

'I love _Quinn_, do you understand? And she just ran out on me because you finally decided that you wanted to be with me? Where was this a year ago? This is fucked up Brit,' she said before taking a sip of whiskey.

'I – I just… I missed you when you were gone. And suddenly you… Well you were there, and then the shooting happened… I was really scared I would lose you, forever,' Brittany said as she started sobbing.

Even after all this, Santana still hated seeing Brittany cry. In high school she would've beaten up anyone who made her cry, never did she think that she'd be the reason. 'Brittany…' she managed.

'I just, I love you, you know? We were good together, can't we fix this?'

The Latina sighed. 'No, we can't Brit… I mean, a year ago I would've jumped at the chance to be with you, but… Things changed. You were with Sam and –'

'But I'm not with Sam anymore…' the blonde interrupted her.

'Yeah, but I'm with Quinn now. Even though I'm not really sure about that anymore…' Santana took another sip of the whiskey.

It was silent for a while before the blonde started to speak again.

'You really love her huh…' she asked softly.

The Latina looked up at her and gave the other girl a small smile, 'Yeah, I really do.'

Brittany started to cry again. It all just sank in, she wouldn't be with Santana anymore, and worst of all, she just ruined the Latina's chance on happiness with Quinn.

'Don't cry… I still love you too you know, but just… Differently.' the Latina said as she tried to comfort her.

'You still care about me after all this?' the blonde managed between sobs.

The Latina moved closer to the other girl, pulling her in an embrace. 'Of course, I will always care about you. Hey, don't ever doubt that,' she whispered.

'Was that for Quinn?' the blonde asked as she pointed at the set table.

The Latina let out a sigh before dropping herself onto the couch again. 'Yeah.'

'I'm sorry…' the blonde said softly.

'It's… fine…' the Latina said, even though it obviously wasn't. She didn't want to make the blonde feel worse, she knew what it was like be turned down by the one you love.

'It's not,' Brittany responded.

'I'm… I'm just really scared that I lost her. I can't lose her.'

'You're not gonna lose her San… She'd be… stupid… to let you go,' the blonde said before sitting herself next to the girl. She couldn't help but think about how she was the one who let the Latina go in the first place. It might have been a mistake, but she really didn't want to stand in the way of Santana's happiness now. She just always figured it'd be with _her_. Seeing the Latina so upset made her realize how much Santana really cared about Quinn.

'You need to call her. And you shouldn't drink that San, it's bad for you,' she said as she pointed at the now almost empty glass of whiskey.

The Latina let out a little laugh, 'It's fine brit, I know how to handle my liquor. But you're right, I need to call her.'

'Santana?' the blonde said before the other girl grabbed her phone.

'Yeah?'

'Are we… okay?' she asked as she looked at the Latina, almost scared.

The Latina gave the other girl a smile before answering. 'We're okay.'

She gave the blonde a kiss on the forehead and started dialing.

* * *

Quinn checked in at a hotel, she knew she was too worn out to drive all the way back to New Haven. Even though she didn't want to be in New York right now, she knew better than to drive around distracted. As she dropped herself onto the bed she heard her phone go off_, Santana, of course_. She didn't pick up, the Latina was the last person she wanted to talk to right now. But the girl sure was persistent as always, and it started to piss Quinn off. After the fifth call she decided to pick up.

_'Quinn I'm so glad you picked up, please I –'_

'_You what Santana? You wanted to tell me you're getting back with Brittany? God I'm so stupid,'_ she yelled at the phone.

_'Please just let me –'_

_'No we're done here. I should've known this would happen, you're Santana Lopez –'_

_'What do you mean Q…'_

_'You… You don't know how to love, you hurt people, because that's just what you do. Was this some kind of sick joke to you? To have me come all the way over here just so that I'd find out about you and Brit? Weren't you even going to tell me?'_

It was silent on the other end of the line.

_'This, us, it was a mistake. I don't want to see you, or talk to you again. Don't call me anymore,_' the blonde said before hanging up, she was still reeling from her outburst.

'Fuck,' Quinn said out loud.

How did she get dragged into this mess?

* * *

**Note: **So some shit's worked out, but this is definitely not the end of it. And we'll get to the stuff about the shooter, if you're even still curious at all haha :) Either way, more Quinntana drama coming up. Uh-oh...


	13. Gone

**Note: **You know I always update soon ;) Today even a little sooner, normally I would've posted this somewhere tonight (Dutch time that is) but I'm out for the day so I just thought I'd leave you with this chapter.

* * *

**7.55 am**

It was morning. It's only been a few hours since Quinn cried herself to sleep. Even when she woke up, she was still upset with Santana, Brittany, and simply the whole situation. She just wanted to get out of here, away from New York. Before she got up she couldn't help but check her phone. There were a few messages from Rachel and Kurt, but none was from Santana. Even though she made it pretty clear last night she never wanted to hear from the Latina again, it surprised her.

**Rachel: Where are you? What the hell happened?**

**Kurt: Pick up your phone please**

**Kurt: I'm serious, you need to tell us what's going on**

Quinn was surprised that the two little diva's didn't know about what happened last night. Surely they'd figure it out if Brittany was there. _She must've left_, Quinn thought, they we're probably sneaking around, just like _she _used to do with Santana. The novelty of the situation clearly hadn't worn off yet, as the blonde started to sob again. As she let out a few tears she started typing.

**Quinn: Ask Santana.**

She sent to both Rachel and Kurt.

Almost immediately she got a reply from Rachel.

**Rachel: Santana hasn't said a word since we got home. Please tell us what happened.**

That was definitely strange. Santana was a lot of things, but she was never the quiet type.

Before she could get lost in her thoughts she heard a knock on the door. She assumed it was housekeeping, but she wasn't even properly dressed so she just told them to come back later.

'It's not housekeeping,' a familiar voice at the other end of the door sounded.

Quinn didn't want to let her in, but she just couldn't help it, she needed to let out her frustration. So she opened the door.

'You've got some nerve showing up at my door after last night! What the hell are you doing here Brittany? And how did you even find me?'

'I'm a genius. Also, I saw your car down the alley next to the hotel.'

Quinn just shook her head. 'Shouldn't you be with Santana?'

The serious expression on the dancer's face didn't change. 'I'm not with Santana.'

'I saw you two –'

'That was my fault,' the dancer said bluntly as she saw the other girl getting somewhat confused.

'What do you mean?' Quinn asked, her voice now calming down a bit.

'I kissed her,' the dancer admitted. 'Santana pulled away, she got mad at me. But you were already gone.'

'What,' Quinn struggled to find the words, it all just started to sink in. She never even bothered to hear Santana's side of the story. Could it be, that she was just at the wrong place, at the wrong time?

'Don't be mad at San. She didn't do anything.'

'But it just looked like you were –'

'Things aren't always what they look like. Santana was really upset after you ran away. She told me she really loves you. She even made dinner for you, there were candles and flowers on the table and everything,' Brittany said.

Quinn didn't know what to say. She couldn't even believe Santana did all that. She opened her mouth but no words came out.

'Quinn, can I ask you something?'

The other girl nodded.

'What did you say to her on the phone? She was really upset…' the dancer said softly.

This caught Quinn off guard, she couldn't believe that Santana didn't even tell _Brittany _about the phone call. Suddenly it all just dawned on her, the things she said… Santana definitely didn't deserve that. _She didn't even do anything._

'Oh god… I – I fucked up B,' she managed.

'What did you say to her?' Brittany repeated the question, now getting more anxious to hear the answer.

'I was really mean to her Brit. I need to talk to her. Like, right now,' she said before grabbing her phone. She called Santana a few times, but no one answered.

'Shit.'

'She's still at home I think, you should go,' Brittany said softly. It did hurt her to be here, she wanted Santana, but she now knew that Quinn was good for her.

Quinn nodded before leaving the room.

* * *

'Santana! Are you there? Open the door, please!' Quinn yelled as she knocked on the door.

It didn't take long for someone to answer, it was Kurt.

'Thank God, is Santana here?'

'She left,' the boy replied before looking down.

'What? Where did she go?' the blonde asked, confused.

'We don't know. She asked us if we could get her some breakfast, and when we came back she wasn't there…' Kurt realized how stupid they were to leave Santana alone.

'What happened Quinn?' Rachel asked, now moving over next to Kurt.

Before Quinn could answer she noticed the set table, her heart breaking at the sight. 'Oh my God,' the candles were all burned out. It made her want to cry again.

'I – I just, Brittany was here.'

'What? When?' Rachel responded, obviously surprised at the news.

'Last night, I saw them kiss… It was... It was a big misunderstanding. I said some mean things to Santana, and now she won't return any of my phone calls.'

Rachel nodded, her heart ached for the Latina. She saw how excited the girl was about last night, and here she was, thinking Santana was having the time of her life while she was out with Kurt, when she couldn't have been more wrong.

'Do you have any idea where she could've gone?' Quinn asked, getting more desperate by the minute.

'I – I don't know,' Kurt stuttered.

Suddenly Rachel turned around and walked over to Santana's room. She looked around. 'Her suitcase, it's gone.'

'What?' the blonde walked over to Rachel, and looked around to find that Santana's suitcase, was indeed gone.

'Shit, shit,' _this was bad_, Quinn thought to herself. 'God, if only I just… She tried to explain, on the phone…'

'There's no time for that, you need to find her Quinn,' Kurt said with a rather serious look on his face.

'But where could she be?' Rachel tried to think of the places the Latina might go to.

'I think… You need to start looking at her parents' house.'

_Kurt was right_, Santana would always go home if she had to get away. Quinn nodded before answering,

'So back to Lima.'

* * *

**Note: **Sorry about the short chapters, I hope I make up for that by updating regularly. And once again, thank you for the reviews! I really love reading them. Well, next chapter will be back in Lima. Stick around and see what happens :)


	14. Let's Talk

**Note: **Addressing the comment about when Q and S will have a positive time together, well... Rome wasn't built in a day, Santana had to sort things out with Brittany, and Quinn needs to work on her own insecurities.

* * *

There it was, the Lopez residence. Quinn hesitated before knocking on the door. What was she gonna say? But then she shook her head, she just had to talk to Santana. It's not like it could get any worse, _right?_ After a few knocks she heard someone walking over to answer the door. A small woman appeared.

'Oh hi Quinn. What brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be in New Haven?'

'Mrs. Lopez, I'm looking for Santana. Is she here?' Seeing Mrs. Lopez' friendly greeting made it clear that she obviously wasn't aware of anything that went down.

'She left this morning, said she was going to hang out with some old friends,' the woman replied with a warm smile.

_She's actually here_, Quinn thought to herself. But what old friends was she talking about? Knowing Santana, she probably lied to her mom. After all, she didn't even tell her about the fight.

'Did she say where?'

Mrs. Lopez stopped to think about it, 'Hmm, I think she said she was going to hang out at… What's it called again… Breadstix, right.'

_Good, now I have something to go on. _The blonde nodded before saying goodbye and turned around.

'Wait, don't you want to come in for a bit? I just made tea.' Mrs. Lopez looked a little confused, she wondered what got the blonde in such a hurry.

'No that's okay, I just really need to find Santana, if you see her tell her I came by!'

And with that she left to look for the Latina. _Breadstix… _Chances are that she lied about that too, but this was all she got.

* * *

'Santana!' Quinn yelled as she burst through the doors, now starting to feel a little embarrassed. Everyone was staring at her. Well, everyone but the one she was looking for. Santana wasn't there.

The blonde sighed and made her way back to her car. She let out a frustrated groan, _where the hell could she be? _ She tried calling again, but still no answer. She was getting more and more desperate, but suddenly she heard someone tap her window.

'Q, is that you?'

Quinn looked out the window to find her former cheerios coach stare at her.

'Coach Sylvester?' The blonde stepped out of her car. She definitely didn't expect to run into _her_.

'So it is you. What the hell are you doing back in Lima? I thought you were supposed to be in college.'

'I am… I'm just looking for Santana.'

'Must be damn important, if you came all the way out here to find her,' Sue responded.

'Wait, do you know where she is?' the blonde asked, regaining some of her hope.

Sue sighed, she did in fact see the Latina. She bumped into her at the grocery store yesterday. But before she could ask any questions about why she was here, she said she was in a hurry and left. Weirdly enough, without her groceries.

'I've seen her. But I don't know where she is now. What happened?' she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Quinn nodded, she couldn't help but look disappointed. 'We had a fight… It was bad, I just, I need to fix this. I need to talk to her, but how am I supposed to do that if I can't even find her…'

Suddenly a car alarm went off. Sue turned around to find some kids kicking her vehicle. 'What the – You stupid little monsters!' she yelled.

Before the coach left to scold the kids, she gave Quinn one last glance.

'Try the auditorium.'

Quinn looked up, almost feeling stupid that she hadn't thought of this before. She mouthed a 'thank you' at her former cheerios coach before leaving.

* * *

McKinley High. Quinn was still scared to walk into the building, considering her last time there wasn't exactly something she wanted to remember. She almost lost Santana then, but she definitely didn't want to let go of her now. _I have to do this_, the blonde told herself. She took a deep breath before moving down the hallway. Memories of _that day_ flooded back, so she kept walking faster. Soon enough, she found herself in front of the entrance of the auditorium. _Come on Q, you can do this. _She encouraged herself before pushing the door open. She looked around, and it didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for.

There she was.

Santana sat at the piano, silently. She didn't seem to notice Quinn was there.

The blonde slowly walked down the steps, not wanting to scare the Latina away.

'Santana…'

The Latina looked up at the girl with a blank expression.

'We need to talk, I'm so sorry about the things I said on the phone... Brittany told me what happened, you didn't deserve that.'

Still not a word from Santana.

'Please say something. Anything.'

As the blonde tried to approach the other girl she got up and walked away.

Quinn knew she wasn't exactly on good terms with the Latina, but she at least expected her to get angry. But she didn't. She followed her out and as they reached the parking lot, Quinn was starting to get annoyed at the Latina's lack of response.

'I came all the way out here to find you, the least thing you can do is say something. Get angry whatever, talk to me.'

This made Santana turn around.

'You want to talk Q? Fine, let's talk.'

She continued. 'I escaped the freakin' hospital for you. I told you that I loved you and it scared me, I didn't think I'd find somebody else after Brittany, but I did. All I did was smile since you told me you were coming over to New York. I had this perfect dinner planned…'

The Latina let out a nervous laugh before continuing, 'for God's sake, I even asked Rachel for help…'

'San…'

'No, don't even start. I can't believe you thought I'd do this to you on purpose, seriously, what do you think of me? Well I guess you made that pretty clear on the phone.'

'Please I told you, I was upset! It's not easy for me either, you've got this whole history with Brittany and when I saw you together, I just... Assumed the worst.'

'And that's the problem Quinn, you just assumed.'

'I was hurt. What was I supposed to do?

'You were supposed to trust me. You didn't even bother to listen to my side of the story. I mean seriously Q, was that all it took? Was it that easy to believe?'

The blonde didn't know what to say. The Latina walked away, leaving a defeated Quinn behind. The blonde didn't even try to chase her, because the truth is, Santana was right. Something wasn't right about their relationship, and it wasn't Brittany's fault. Quinn realized she needed to deal with her own insecurities.

As she sat there, she couldn't help but wonder, could she and Santana still work things out?

Or was their relationship broken beyond repair?

* * *

**Another note: **So yeah, I feel kinda bad leaving the story hangin' like this. But, I promise they will get together.


	15. Drunk

**Note: **Addressing the comment about Quinn's parents (or well, mother, since her dad moved out), they don't know yet. I'm not going to make a big deal out of it though, at least I think so for now. Oh right, the comment about why Santana didn't slap Brittany... Simply said, because it's _Brittany._

* * *

Santana was back at her parents' house. She lied down in bed and stared at the ceiling. She tried not to think about Quinn, but the girl never left her mind. She pulled the sheets over her head, as if they'd shield her from her thoughts. Nothing worked, and she felt herself getting frustrated. Even after the fight, she still missed Quinn. But she knew better than to come running back. Even though she wanted to. Badly. Suddenly she noticed a text on her phone.

**Puck: Lopez I hear you're in Lima. I'm coming back to town for the week, come hang at the bar tonight, have some fun.**

Santana was a little surprised to hear from Puck, considering he's been off the radar for the past few weeks. He's been busy with 'business' in L.A. so he couldn't make it to the reunion. _Lucky bastard, _she thought to herself. He did come by to visit her at the hospital after the shooting to make sure she was alright. Santana missed hanging out with Puck. Actually, she missed all of it. Cheerios. Glee club. Brittany and Quinn, before things got complicated… She was tired of it, she just wanted things to be easy for a change. So she started typing out a text.

**Santana: I'm in.**

* * *

Santana walked into the bar and took a seat. She didn't have to wait long for Puck to show up, before she tried to order her first drink he walked in.

'Good to see you, looking hot as always!' Puck smirked as he pulled her in for an embrace.

'Yeah you too, I missed having you around,' Santana returned a smile before letting out a sigh. Even though she just wanted to forget about everything tonight, it was hard.

'What's with the sad face? What did I miss?' Puck asked, now with a concerned look on his face.

_If only he knew_, she thought to herself. She wasn't in the mood to explain what happened, he didn't even know about her and Quinn at all. She decided to go with an easy answer.

'Parents. They've been bitching about how I dropped out of college,' she said, and fairly convincing too.

'That sucks. Well, let's get this party started then!' Puck called over the bartender and ordered a few shots.

Before she knew it, Santana was drunk. Not tipsy, downright wasted. Puck however seemed to be doing alright. Even though he took pretty much the same amount of shots, he didn't seem as affected. They we're ready to call it a night, but as Santana got up she stumbled, tripping herself over a table. Before her face could hit the ground Puck caught her.

'Whoa, easy there. Think we might've partied a little too hard. Let me take you outside and I'll call you a cab.' He grabbed her hand and led her to the exit.

'Jacket… My jacket, I left it inside…' Santana felt herself shiver. Apparently the alcohol wasn't enough to numb _that _out, but otherwise she's succeeded pretty well in forgetting about all the drama.

Puck nodded. 'Okay I'll go get it, you wait right here. Seriously. Don't move.' And with that he left to find her jacket.

It didn't take long for Santana to ignore what Puck said, she started to wander off. She made her way down the street, barely walking in a straight line. She found herself leaning against a bench, and she figured she could sit down for a bit. She was so out of it that she didn't notice a certain blonde walking by.

'Santana?'

Santana looked up to find Quinn looking at her in concern. She started crying.

Quinn didn't know how to react to this. After their fight, she couldn't manage to fall asleep so she went for a walk. She thought this would help her clear her head, but seeing Santana like this confused her more than ever. Considering their last confrontation it would probably be best if she'd walk away. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

'Are you… drunk?' she asked.

'No…' Santana said while still sobbing.

_She's definitely drunk_, Quinn thought. Otherwise she would have walked away by now. 'Did you go out alone?'

'Puck was with me. He left me,' she answered before starting to cry again.

Quinn was surprised at hearing Puck's name. _When did he get back in town? _He'd never leave Santana alone like this though, she figured he was probably worried. She pulled out her phone and starting typing out a text.

**Quinn: Don't worry, Santana's safe. She's with me.**

Almost immediately she got a reply. Puck was obviously looking for Santana.

**Puck: Thank god, I thought I lost her! Wait, why are you in Lima?**

**Quinn: Long story, tell you some other time. Gotta take Santana home.**

Quinn put her phone back in her pocket and looked at Santana, who now had stopped crying. Before she could reach out to her, Santana managed to say something.

'Why Q? Why don't you trust me?'

This question caught Quinn off guard. 'I – I don't know.'

'Don't you love me?' Santana asked softly.

Quinn didn't know how to answer that. Santana probably wouldn't even remember it the next day… But it hurt her to hear that Santana doubted Quinn's feelings for her. There was only one simple answer, really.

'I do love you,' she admitted.

But Santana's head was elsewhere. 'I'm cold.'

Quinn sighed, and helped the other girl up. 'Where's your jacket?'

'I don't know,' Santana shrugged.

'Let's get you home, kay?' Quinn said as she gave the other girl a smile.

As they reached the Lopez residence, Quinn helped Santana lie down on the couch. She threw a blanket over her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She found herself staring at the girl. _God she's beautiful_, Quinn thought to herself.

Not too long ago she would've been lying next to her.

They would have woken up in each other's arms.

She would have kissed her good morning.

She felt herself wanting to cry again, so she starting pacing to the door. Before she could leave she was stopped by Santana.

'Quinn?'

She turned around. 'What is it?'

_'I really miss you.'_

* * *

**Note: **So this was a fairly simple chapter. Consider this a bit of peace before I shake things up again. Whoa, don't ask because I'm not sure if I mean that in a good or bad way yet.


	16. Clarity

**Note: **I was going to write this chapter tomorrow since I was heading for the gym tonight. But apparently it's on fire. So tadaaa.

* * *

The next day Santana woke up on the couch, with a splitting headache. She struggled to remember what happened the night before, and started checking her phone for clues. There were a few missed calls and messages from Puck.

**Puck: Where the hell are you? Been looking for you all over the place!**

**Puck: Call me, seriously**

**Puck: Heard Quinn found you, good to know you're alright. I still got your jacket.**

_Quinn? _How did she not remember this? Suddenly she felt embarrassed about the state that she was in when Quinn found her last night, she didn't really remember much, but it couldn't have been pretty. She noticed the blanket and the glass of water on the table, she figured Quinn took care of her. It was sweet, she thought before quickly remembering all the drama. She looked around to see if Quinn was still there.

Nothing. She let out a sigh.

Although she probably would've gotten mad at the blonde again, she couldn't help but be slightly disappointed to find that the girl had left. Some part of her told her that this was probably for the best, but another part refused to let go. She hated it, feeling like you _need _someone. It made her feel vulnerable. She got up and walked over to the kitchen to prepare some coffee, she figured it would help with the hangover. She noticed a note on the fridge, it was from her mother.

**Santana, I left you some food for dinner tonight, I will be working late. PS: you shouldn't drink that much. You are old enough now, you need to take care of yourself!**

Santana rolled her eyes as if she heard her mother say the words out loud. Lucky enough she woke up after her mother left, surely the woman would have scolded her if she were awake.

It didn't take long for her thoughts to get back to Quinn, _what has she done to me? _It was so much easier when they used to slap each other. A physical fight she could handle, but the emotional torture was driving her crazy. She knew she couldn't keep going like this.

She just needed to talk to Quinn, _actually talk_.

She wasn't sure what was going to come out of it, but she needed to figure out what it is she wants from Quinn, and she needed to know how Quinn really feels about her. What Quinn said on the phone still stung, but she learned that being apart from the girl hurt way worse.

* * *

Quinn woke up to the sound of her phone buzzing. She opened her eyes to find that it was already afternoon. _Guess I needed to catch up my sleep some time... _She let out a yawn before she reached for her phone. It was a message from _Santana_. She was definitely surprised, surely a sober Santana wouldn't want to talk to her?

**Santana: Can we meet? I'm at the auditorium.**

Quinn wasn't sure what to think. She was excited that Santana was speaking to her now, but then again, what could she possibly want to talk about? _Guess there's only one way to find out…_

**Quinn: I'll be right there.**

* * *

Quinn once again walked down the halls of McKinley High. It was strange, students were roaming around as if nothing ever happened. She didn't think she could ever be there without thinking about the day of the shooting. The memories still sent a shiver down her spine.

As she reached the auditorium she found Santana, once again sitting at the piano, only this time she was playing. Quinn was slightly surprised that the Latina actually knew how to play the piano, but it only made her admire the girl more. As she walked down the steps Santana started singing, not yet noticing that Quinn was already there.

Quinn didn't want her to stop, so she decided to sit in the back and listen.

_I dive into frozen waves where the past comes back to life_  
_Fight fear for the selfish pain, it was worth it every time_  
_Hold still right before we crash 'cause we both know how this ends_  
_A clock ticks 'til it breaks your glass and I drown in you again_

_'Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need_  
_Chasing relentlessly, still fight and I don't know why_

This time Santana looked up, staring Quinn right in the eyes but she didn't stop singing. As if she _wanted_ Quinn to listen.

_If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy?_  
_If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?_

_Walk on through a red parade and refuse to make amends_  
_It cuts deep through our ground and makes us forget all common sense_  
_Don't speak as I try to leave 'cause we both know what we'll choose_  
_If you pull then I'll push too deep and I'll fall right back to you_

_Why are you my clarity?_  
_Why are you my remedy?_

'Hey,' Santana said softly after she finished.

Quinn slowly walked down the steps.

'Hey you too…' Quinn replied. She wasn't really sure what to say. All she knew was that the song hit home pretty hard.

'I should thank you for bringing me home last night, sorry about that…' Santana started feeling a little embarrassed again.

'That's… fine. It's not like I could leave you out on the street like that.'

Santana let out a small chuckle. 'That bad, huh?'

A timid smile appeared on the other girl's face.

It was silent for a moment, they we're both struggling to find what it is they wanted to say. Santana was the first to speak up.

'How did we get here Q? Not too long ago we were used to being at each other's throats. And now… I can't stop thinking about how I want you near me.'

Quinn's heart warmed as she heard those last words, maybe there was still hope after all.

'I don't know,' she answered.

Another moment of silence passed before Quinn spoke again.

'Maybe… Maybe that's part of the problem. That we're used to being at each other's throats. I guess that trust has always been a bit of an issue between us…'

'Guess so… I just… I don't know, we'd probably be better off without each other,' Santana said as she looked away.

Quinn nodded before looking down in disappointment. As much as there was truth to what she said, it hurt her to think she'd lose Santana, if she hadn't already. As she felt tears forming in her eyes, she suddenly felt the Latina's hand on hers. Quinn looked up to find Santana looking at her.

'The thing is… I don't want to be without you...'

Quinn's heart skipped a beat as she heard Santana say those words.

'I love you,' she blurted out without thinking.

Santana hesitated, she was definitely going to be more careful before she declared her love again. 'You think we stand a chance?'

Quinn thought about it for a moment before answering. 'Yeah, I do.'

'I think we need to work on our communication though, I mean, if you still want to…' she said softly, not wanting to get ahead of herself.

Santana smiled as she moved a bit closer. 'Wasn't it all easier when we just communicated with our fists?'

Quinn let out a chuckle before locking eyes with Santana. She felt herself drown in the girl's beautiful brown eyes. She just wanted to grab her, and kiss her...

So she did.

'I prefer… communicating… with our lips…' Quinn whispered between kisses. She felt Santana's lips form into a smile.

'There's no turning back now,' Santana said as they stopped for a breather.

'We'll make it work._ Baby steps._'

* * *

**Yet another note: **I don't like seeing them apart either, I figured it would be time for amends. So like it says, _baby steps._ And seriously, thanks again for the reviews, they're really entertaining haha!

Oh right, in case you don't know the song, it's** Clarity by Zedd featuring Foxes,** and I mean the _acoustic version_, it's pretty much been my theme song while writing this fic.


	17. Waking Up

Santana loved waking up next to Quinn. The blonde was still asleep and Santana couldn't help but stare at her beautiful girlfriend. Their relationship might not be perfect, but she knew that they were both willing to work on it.

Today was all about spending time with Quinn. Santana was still off from work due to her injury still healing, and Quinn figured college could wait another day. The thought of Quinn having to go back to New Haven scared Santana, but she wasn't going to stand in Quinn's way when it came to college. _It's Yale, for God's sake. _They would figure something out, somehow. They can worry about this later, Santana thought to herself. After all, they were going to take it easy.

Since Quinn was still asleep, Santana thought about getting them breakfast. She softly placed a kiss on the blonde's forehead and tried to get up. Before she could leave the bed she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

'Stay,' Quinn said with her eyes still closed.

Santana smiled. 'I just thought I'd get us some breakfast.'

'Don't need breakfast. Just want you.'

'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day you know,' Santana teased.

'Please,' Quinn huffed as she noticed the time. 'It's not breakfast when it's one o'clock in the afternoon anyway, so just get your ass back in here.' Quinn said as she tugged at the Latina's hand.

'Oh well then how could I resist,' Santana joked before letting herself fall back down on the mattress.

Quinn smiled, happy to have her girlfriend lay next to her again and moved in for a kiss.

As she slowly pulled away to catch her breath, Santana cupped her face to pull her in for another kiss, leaving Quinn breathless in more than one way.

Santana gave her one last peck on the lips before pulling away.

'Good morning to you too,' she said with giant smirk on her face, it was clear that she was satisfied with Quinn's reaction.

Quinn just smiled and shook her head at noticing her girlfriend's cockiness. 'You're lucky you're hot.'

Santana playfully raised one eyebrow, a smirk still covering her face.

They lied next to each other for another while, simply enjoying each other's company. God knows they've missed this.

'Quinn?' Santana asked softly.

'Hmm?'

'I'm glad you came to find me. Sorry I was such a bitch to you before. I mean, I know it's not easy for you, with the history between me and Brit…'

'It's not... But… I crossed a line when I said those things to you on the phone… You have to know, I didn't mean it.'

Santana nodded, but she couldn't help but look a little sad. Quinn noticed this.

'Hey… I'm serious, don't even think for a moment that any of it is true, I was upset.'

Santana looked up to find Quinn staring at her in concern. She opened her mouth but it took her a moment before she spoke.

'It's just… You're right, I do hurt people Quinn. I mean, I was such a bitch to everyone in high school… I can't believe that after all that you'd want to be with me.'

'Santana, look at me,' Quinn said trying regain the other girl's attention. 'I do want to be with you Santana. You always act like a bad ass, but I know that underneath all of that, there's a soft side to you. I know you care about people, and that you protect the ones you love.'

Santana smiled at this. Even though she liked to keep up her bad girl image, she never actually wanted people to hate her. Quinn understood this, because frankly, she wasn't exactly an angel either.

'And besides, it's not like I've always been that nice back then,' Quinn added.

Santana huffed before letting out a chuckle. 'You can say that again.'

Quinn frowned at the girl. 'Shut up,' she said before playfully hitting Santana on the arm.

'I think, we just get each other,' Quinn continued.

'Yeah,' Santana replied softly, now locking eyes with Quinn.

Quinn moved closer and placed a brief kiss on Santana's lips, as if to assure her that she wanted to be with her.

Santana returned a warm smile before asking, 'So, what are we doing today?'

Quinn let out a sigh. 'Can't we just stay in bed?'

'Very tempting…' Santana whispered as she started kissing Quinn down her neck, earning herself a light moan from the girl. She made her way back to Quinn's lips, her hands trailing across the blonde's bare body.

Before they could get into it any further Santana got up.

'Come on!' Quinn called.

Another smirk appeared on the Latina's face. 'I was going to get us breakfast remember?'

'Or, lunch I guess...' Santana shrugged.

Quinn rolled her eyes. 'You're such a tease.'

'You're one to talk Fabray,' Santana started talking as she put some jeans on. 'You've been teasing me ever since Mr. Shue's failed wedding.'

'I would have gotten away with it if_ you_ didn't keep trying, but you just couldn't get enough of me,' Quinn teased, squinting her eyes at the other girl.

'Oh please, like you didn't want me to,' Santana huffed while grabbing a sweater.

Quinn watched Santana get dressed.

'Well… You're not exactly making it easy for me resist…' Quinn said softly as she scanned her girlfriends body, biting her lip at the sight.

'Are you checking me out?' Santana asked playfully as she turned around to catch Quinn's gaze.

'I sure as hell am,' Quinn stated with a smile, proud to call the Latina her girlfriend.

'Good,' Santana smirked before she made her way to the door.

'Don't leave me,' Quinn begged, jutting her lower lip out in a pout.

Santana returned one last glance as a smile formed on her lips.

_'Never baby.'_

* * *

**Note: **just a short sweet chapter, hope you don't mind.


	18. Revelations

**Note: **It's been a busy week, lots of homework and celebrating that we now have a king and all... But here is the next chapter. Not sure how you're gonna feel about this one, but I just needed to get this out of the way before continuing the rest of the story! Lemme know whatcha think (and just to make sure, the story was pretty much canon up until 'I do').

* * *

Quinn had only one day left before she would have to go back to New Haven. Santana wanted to spend as much time with Quinn as she could, so she decided to take her out to dinner. To_ Breadstix,_ of course.

'Do you _have_ to go back?' Santana asked.

Quinn smiled. 'You know I don't want to… But I'll get kicked out of Yale if I miss any more classes.'

'I know… It just sucks, I hate that you're gonna be so far away.'

'I'll still come over to New York, and you can stay with me in my dorm room too. My roommate's gone most of the time anyway.'

'I'd like that,' Santana said, managing a smile. Obviously things could've been better, but if this is how they'd get to keep seeing each other, she'd make the best out of it.

Quinn moved closer to place a kiss on the Latina's lips. 'We'll make it work,' she said softly.

Santana nodded. They stared at each other for a little while before a smirk appeared on Santana's face. 'Has anyone ever told you how hot you are?'

'No, tell me.' Quinn grinned as she dared her girlfriend to elaborate.

'You're body, is just… Stunning,' Santana whispered as their hands intertwined.

'And I love your eyes…' she continued. 'I mean, are they green or are they hazel, I just can't stop looking at them. They're amazing.'

Quinn smiled, 'keep going.'

'Well, you're lips, look… Delicious,' she whispered as her lips now hovered over Quinn's.

She started stroking Quinn's hair.

'And I love your hair… And how sexy it looks after we –'

Before she could finish her sentence she felt Quinn's hand covering her mouth. 'Not here, that's enough,' Quinn said as she let out a chuckle. They were in a restaurant after all, and Quinn wasn't ready to share any details with strangers.

'I was gonna say make love, you know,' Santana grinned.

Quinn playfully raised an eyebrow, 'Santana Lopez, is that you?'

Santana laughed but winced at the pain of her still healing wound.

'Hey, you okay?' Quinn asked worried.

'I'm fine, it just still hurts a little sometimes.'

Quinn nodded. 'I can't believe they still didn't find the guy who did this to you. Doesn't it scare you, that he's still out there?'

'How come you're so sure it's a _he_?' Santana replied.

'Well… I don't know, I –' Quinn stopped her sentence as she noticed Santana looking away. She frowned. 'Wait. Did you remember something? Do you know who it was?'

The Latina's lack of response was now making Quinn extremely suspicious.

'Santana, if you know anything, you have to go to the police!'

Santana looked up to find Quinn staring at her in anticipation, she tried to come up with an answer. 'I don't remember anything… But she uhm… Confessed to me.'

'What? Are you serious? When the hell did this happen? Who is it?' Quinn asked, anxious to hear the answers but also upset about the fact that Santana didn't tell her this before.

'I… I can't tell you,' Santana struggled as she gave Quinn an apologetic look.

'What the hell do you mean? I almost lost you, and you're not even gonna tell me who was responsible for it? And why wouldn't you turn her in? You could have _died.'_

'I know, but it was an accident… If I tell you, you have to promise me you won't go to the cops.'

'Santana I can't –'

'Promise,' Santana pleaded.

Quinn nodded reluctantly.

'Fine,' she answered, not sure if she was capable of keeping her word.

'Not here though.'

They payed the bill and made their way to Quinn's car. As Santana closed the door she started to explain.

* * *

**Flashback**

_After Santana asked Rachel and Kurt to get her something to eat, she packed her suitcase and left. She wanted to go home, back to Lima. She needed to get away from all of it, she was upset about the phone call and she wasn't ready to talk to Rachel or Kurt. After she settled her stuff at home, she made her way to McKinley. The auditorium always helped her clear her head. As she walked down the halls she noticed a familiar face staring at her. One that was looking particularly… Frightened?_

_'Marley,' Santana said as she approached the girl. 'It's so good to see you,' Santana smiled._

_Marley offered her a small smile in return. 'You too… I heard about what happened, how are you now?' The girl asked. It was as if she felt obligated to ask, but she certainly looked like she didn't want to be here._

_'I'm okay, actually,' Santana replied._

_Marley seemed to struggle with Santana's answer. 'How can you be okay? I mean, you were shot. Aren't you terrified…'_

_Santana squinted her eyes at the other girl, trying to figure out why she was acting so weird._

_'I'm… I guess I'm just happy to be alive… Are you okay?' Even though it had been a while since Santana last saw Marley, seeing her still made Santana feel kind of responsible for the girl. After all, she was her mentor._

_The bell rang._

_'I'm… fine, I have to go I have class,' Marley managed, but before she could walk away Santana held her back._

_'You're not fine, what's going on? You can tell me you know,' Santana said, trying to get the girl to open up._

_'I… can't... you'd hate me.'_

_'Why would I hate you? Come on, just talk to me,' Santana pleaded. She might have her own issues right now, but Marley obviously needed to talk to someone._

_The halls were now empty. After the last few students rushed to their classrooms a moment of silence passed._

_'It was an accident…' Marley whispered._

_'Accident? What do you–' Suddenly Santana realized what she was talking about._

_'It was you…'_

_'I'm so sorry, I never meant for you to get hurt, please y-you have to believe me,' Marley begged, now getting upset. Tears were forming in her eyes._

_'I… Why? How?' Santana struggled as she was trying to make sense of the situation._

_'I was just so upset… Those jerks, they… They kept teasing my mom,'_

_'Your mom?' Santana raised an eyebrow._

_'The lunch lady…'_

_'They were awful to her,' she continued. 'One day she was driving back home from school, and the guys from the football team… They… They threw eggs at her car. It was so stupid,' Marley said, now in tears. 'She lost control of the car, she just… crashed.' The girl felt herself getting angry again. 'My mother is in a coma because of those jerks, I hate them, I just… I wanted to hurt them, so bad.'_

_Suddenly Santana remembered seeing the lunch lady in the hospital. Even though Marley had nearly killed Santana, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She could only imagine seeing her own mom in such a lifeless form, she didn't want to think about it and quickly shook the thought away._

_Santana cleared her throat. 'Where'd you get the gun?'_

_'I heard a rumor, about coach Sylvester keeping a gun… Everyone thought it was a joke, but I actually went to look for it after school… And then I found it… I just... took it. But before I made it outside I changed my mind, I knew I couldn't go through with it. I'd be no better than those guys. I wanted to put it back and pretend it never happened, but then I saw you… You just – You startled me, I don't know what happened. It was an accident, it just went off… And when I saw you fall to the floor I just ran. I'm so so sorry, I never should have left you there, I just, I was so scared, I've thought about it every day, and it still haunts me. I'm a coward, I never –' the girl started to sob uncontrollably._

_Santana had been silent, listening to the other girl explain. Santana watched Marley confess the whole thing, and her heart just ached at seeing the girl cry. She knew it was an accident. Marley had been torturing herself with guilt for the past few weeks, and above all that, she didn't have her mom to turn to._

_Santana pulled the girl into a hug, the wound still hurt but she couldn't care less about that right now. It looks like Marley had been in more pain than she was._

_This caught Marley off guard, she didn't understand why Santana would still be so nice to her. 'Why… Why are you doing this? I could've killed you.'_

_'It was an accident,' Santana answered._

_'Are you gonna turn me in?' Marley asked softly, now looking more scared than ever. _

_'No, I'm not. But we definitely need to talk about this.'_

* * *

'It was Marley?' Quinn's jaw dropped. She couldn't imagine how such an innocent girl could ever be driven to the point of carrying a gun.

* * *

**Note: **There you have it. Promise more Quinntana coming up soon, also, Brittany will come back. (Speaking of Brittany, I missed her these past few episodes... And, need more Santana!)


	19. Small Talk

'Why didn't you tell me this before?' Quinn asked.

'Well we weren't exactly on good terms… And I didn't want you to report her. You're not going to the cops right?' Santana wondered if Quinn would actually stick to her word.

Quinn hesitated. Memories of _that day _flashed by. She remembered hearing the gunshot and running towards the entrance to find Santana. Words couldn't describe the fear she got when she found Santana surrounded by a trail of blood. It was something she would never forget.

'I don't know… Santana you have no idea how scared I was when I found you after you were shot. And to know who did that to you… I just, I don't know.'

Santana grabbed Quinn by the shoulders before trying to reason with her. 'Quinn, I'm fine. I'm alive, and I'm with you. I'm better than ever, really.'

Quinn managed a smile. 'You're amazing, you know that?'

'I know. It's a Lopez trait,' Santana replied as a grin formed on her face. 'So… Does that mean you won't tell anybody?'

Quinn let out a sigh before answering. 'I won't tell.'

Santana gave her girlfriend a kiss, as if to let her know she was happy with Quinn's decision.

* * *

The next day Quinn had to get back to New Haven. She didn't want to leave Santana, but she really had to. Even Santana knew she'd be crazy to drop out of Yale.

She packed her last few things and noticed that she was missing a shirt. Before she could make a mess to try and find it she saw Santana walking out of the shower, wearing her missing shirt.

'Wow. I have to admit, you look really hot in my shirt.'

Santana playfully raised an eyebrow as she walked over. She grabbed Quinn by her waist and pulled her body against hers. 'I'd rather be in your pants,' she teased.

Quinn couldn't help but laugh. 'That's just awful, you are such a perv.'

'But you love it, admit it.'

Quinn smiled. 'I do.' She pulled the Latina in for a kiss.

'Don't go,' Santana begged, trying to put on her saddest face.

'I have to… Besides, _you_ have to go back to New York. Don't they miss you at work?'

'Still have a few days off… But I guess they need me eventually. I mean, who's gonna wanna visit the bar without the hottest bartender in the house?' Santana grinned.

'Should I be worried?' Quinn asked, not sure if she meant it as a joke or not.

'Q, you're the only one I want.'

Quinn smiled.

In all honesty, Quinn was a little worried about Santana. Quinn knew Santana was talented, and she'd hate to see her throw it all away for a job as a bartender.

'San,'

'What is it?'

'Are you happy?'

Santana frowned at this. 'What? Of course I am, I told –'

'No I mean, with your job…' Quinn said softly, trying not to upset her girlfriend.

'Not you too…' Santana said before sitting down on the bed.

'What do you mean?' Quinn asked confused.

'Rachel and Kurt told me they think I'm throwing my life away.'

'Well aren't you?' Quinn asked, soon realizing this might have sounded a little insensitive.

Santana's head shot up, she looked like she was about to make a snappy remark before Quinn interfered.

'I – I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way,' Quinn apologized. 'It's just, you can do great things you know. You're smart, you're beautiful, you can sing and dance, you could do anything.'

Santana sighed as she looked back down. 'But that's the thing Q. I don't know what I want. I just need time to figure this out you know.'

Quinn nodded. 'Well, whatever you decide, I support you.'

Santana offered her girlfriend a smile before motioning her to come closer.

Quinn sat down next to Santana. 'I'm really gonna miss you,' Quinn admitted.

'I know, I mean, these past few days with you have been great. I just wish it wouldn't have to end.'

'I'll come visit you as soon as possible. Besides, I still owe you a dinner.'

Santana let out a chuckle. 'Damn right you do. I want flowers, candles and all that crap.'

Quinn smiled.

_'Anything for you S.'_

* * *

**Note: **So I'm sorry about the short chapter, it was supposed to be longer... But then I got a call, just got invited to play twister, with wine. Can't say no to that. I'll be posting another chapter soon, but for now... Cheers, and have a lovely weekend!


	20. Birthday

It's been a week since Santana has seen Quinn. Sure, they had been texting and calling each other every day, but it wasn't the same. Santana missed everything about Quinn, her scent, her touch, her beautiful eyes, phone calls just didn't cover it. She wanted Quinn _near_ her.

Santana grabbed her phone and started typing.

**Santana: When do I get to see you? I miss you.**

She waited for Quinn to reply, but it didn't come as soon as she thought it would. _She's probably busy… _Santana thought to herself. She let out a sigh. It didn't take long for her to check her phone again.

_Still nothing. _

As she looked at the screen she noticed the date. Tomorrow was Santana's birthday. With everything that's been going on, she realized she didn't even bother to keep track of the date. _Would Quinn have forgotten too? _She wondered.

Suddenly she heard the door open.

'Santana we're home!' Rachel called.

Santana rolled her eyes. 'You don't have to say that every time you walk in. I know you live here.'

'Well I'm just making sure,' Rachel replied.

Kurt lifted two bags. 'We brought Chinese,' he announced.

'Great, I'm starving.'

* * *

They all sat at the table. Santana felt her thoughts drift away as the two diva's discussed Rachel's Funny Girl callback. Of course Santana was happy for her, but it was all they talked about lately and she wasn't in the mood to get into that conversation again.

She wondered what Quinn was doing right now. _Is she thinking about me too? _She checked her phone once more, _I guess not_. Santana couldn't blame her though, Yale was a big deal. If Quinn was busy with school she wasn't going to be the one to interfere.

'You gonna eat that?' Kurt asked.

Santana looked up to find the two staring at her. 'What?'

'Your egg roll,' Kurt pointed at it. 'You've been dipping it in chili sauce for the past two minutes. What are you thinking about?'

The Latina frowned. 'I was just thinking about how you could combine the two of you together and possibly create the most annoying, dwarfish, yet talented, diva ever. You could call yourself miss hummelberry.'

Rachel and Kurt exchanged a look. 'Ehm, well as much as that sounds… Flattering…? I know you weren't thinking about that,' Rachel answered. 'How's Quinn?'

'Great…' The Latina sighed. 'She told me she aced her exam this week. Don't know how she pulled it off after our little holiday in Lima.'

Kurt and Rachel both offered her a sympathetic look. They knew that it was hard for Santana to be away from Quinn.

'It's gonna be okay you know.' Kurt tried to comfort her. 'Before you know it, she'll be here and you two can do whatever it is you do.'

'Thanks Kurt.' Santana smiled. 'Oh and we will definitely do, whatever it is we do.' Santana grinned, wondering what Quinn's face would look like if she were here to hear that.

* * *

Santana tried to fall asleep. The fact that Quinn still hadn't replied to her text made her worry though. She tried calling, but no answer. Usually Quinn replied within five minutes. She wondered if something happened to her. Or maybe, someone… _No, I trust her._

She looked over at the alarm clock.

12AM. It was officially Santana's birthday. Back in high school she would have thrown a kick ass party, but right now the only thing she wanted was to see Quinn. Or at least get a text from her. She checked her phone one last time, _nothing_… She closed her eyes, and after a while she managed to fall asleep.

The next morning she woke up to the sound of footsteps. She slowly opened her eyes.

'Whoa, what the hell?!'

The first thing she saw was Kurt and Rachel hovering over her, staring at her with a rather creepy smile.

'Good morning Santana,' Rachel said happily. Her perkiness annoyed Santana. _Good morning, right_, she thought to herself.

'You need to come with us.' A smirk covered Kurt's face.

'What are you talking about… Why? And _where_?' the Latina asked, confused.

'You'll see, just get out of bed okay?' Rachel answered.

Santana hesitated before giving in. She had no idea where this was going, but she decided to just go with it. It wasn't like she had anything better to do today anyway.

'Can I at least get ready?' she asked with a sarcastic tone, hinting for Kurt and Rachel to leave the room.

'Fine, just hurry,' Rachel ordered before walking away.

'Oh, and wear something nice. We'll be right outside!' Kurt called as they made their way to the door.

The Latina opened her closet and started to look for something to wear. _Something nice? _She didn't even know where they were going.

'Well, this will have to do I guess,' she thought out loud as she pulled out a black dress.

'You ready?' Kurt asked as Santana grabbed her jacket and closed the door.

'I'd tell you if I knew where I was going,' the Latina replied.

Rachel grabbed her hand and led her along the way.

'I'm not being abducted, am I? Like, you knock me out and I wake up in Mexico?' Santana asked as she was getting more and more suspicious.

'You speak Spanish, you'll manage,' Kurt joked.

'You'll be fine,' Rachel tried to assure her. 'Just trust us, it'll be worth it.'

'This better be good Berry.'

Finally they stopped in front of a small restaurant. It was modest, and had a certain elegance to it.

'We're here,' Kurt said with a smile.

Santana raised an eyebrow. 'Now what?'

'Now you go in.' Kurt opened the door as Rachel gave the girl a little push forward.

'You're not coming?'

'Trust me, you don't want us there,' Kurt said as he let out a chuckle. He and Rachel waved the Latina goodbye before walking away.

Santana entered the place. Even though it was light outside, it was pretty dark in there as she struggled to find her way. Suddenly a light went on. It lit up a small stage.

Santana was still confused, but as she looked up at the stage, all her worries disappeared. She couldn't help but smile at what she saw.

There she was, _Quinn_.

She stood at the stage as a song started playing. Quinn motioned her girlfriend to take a seat before she started to sing.

_Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it  
I tried to be chill but your so hot that I melted  
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm tryin to get back  
before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my best test  
and nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention  
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some_

_But I won't hesitate no more,_  
_no more, it cannot wait_  
_I'm yours_

_Well open up your mind and see like me  
open up your plans and damn you're free  
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love  
listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing  
Were just one big family  
And it's our godforsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved_

_So, I won't hesitate no more,_  
_no more, it cannot wait I'm sure_  
_there's no need to complicate our time is short_  
_this is our faith_  
_I'm yours_

As Quinn finished her song she walked over to pull Santana in for a kiss. 'Happy birthday,' she said with a smile.

'It is now,' Santana placed another kiss on Quinn's lips.

Next to them was a table, with flowers, and candles. There was a basket with French bread, a bowl of fruit and a whole lot more.

'I know I promised you dinner, but I couldn't wait 'til tonight.' Quinn grinned, her hands still holding Santana's. Neither girl wanted to let go. Thankfully, today they didn't have to.

There was no better surprise than this, Santana thought to herself. She couldn't believe Quinn was actually here.

'This… is _perfect.'_

* * *

**Note: **One word, Quinntana! Don't think I have to tell you the name of the song. ;)


	21. Guess Who?

**Note: **So first of all, I might be changing the title and the description of this story. I mean, I didn't even know what the story was gonna look like at first. Originally I was going to stop after one chapter, but since I didn't I guess the summary doesn't really make that much sense anymore. Just wanted to give you a heads up!

Oh right, Jammy: I'm not sure about where I wanna go with this Marley thing yet, but I'm no expert on crimes and what exactly the police would and could do to solve it. Just gonna see where it goes for now.

That'll be all!

* * *

'_This is... perfect.'_

'Sorry I didn't text you back, but I wanted it to be a surprise,' Quinn said as she couldn't stop smiling. It was hard for her not to reply to Santana's messages, but seeing Santana's reaction made it all worth it.

'Well you succeeded, guess I should thank Hummel and Berry too. God I can't believe you're here.'

'It's your birthday Santana, you didn't actually think I'd forget right?' Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.

'I almost did, so I couldn't really blame you if you forgot. I mean, with everything that's happened the past few weeks… It's crazy.'

'Yeah… Lima was a nice break from all of it.'

They both let out a sigh, as if it only just all sank in. Suddenly they heard a phone go off. Santana grabbed her phone out of her bag, but when she saw the caller ID she decided not to pick up.

'Aren't you gonna get that?' Quinn asked.

'No, I'm with you now. Besides, it's probably just someone who wants to congratulate me. I'll call back later.' She didn't lie. It probably was someone who wanted to congratulate her, but Santana didn't want to drop her name into the conversation. _Not now, not after everything's been going so well._

Quinn nodded before moving closer. 'I think I should congratulate you, the proper way…' She whispered before gently placing her lips on the Latina's, which soon turned into a passionate make-out session.

'I miss this,' Santana said softly as she pulled away.

'Me too…'

'Aren't you gonna get in trouble with Yale? I mean, you've been ditching a lot of classes for me…' Santana looked away, suddenly feeling guilty.

'It's okay San. Sure my teachers have been complaining, but my grades are fine. They have no reason to kick me out. Besides, I'll be back tomorrow…'

Santana nodded. 'God I wish you didn't have to go, I hate saying goodbye to you.'

'I know… but Yale is an amazing opportunity, it's –'

'I understand Q. I would never ask you to give that up.' Santana smiled, trying to assure Quinn that she was really okay with it.

'It'd be a crazy idea for you to move to New Haven right?' Before Santana could answer that Quinn shook her head. 'No I know you love New York.'

Santana offered the other girl a sympathetic smile. 'Yeah, I do. Let's just stick to the baby steps for now. I'd hate to show up in a U-Haul and confirm that awful stereotype.'

Quinn laughed, as she once again realized how much she missed the Latina. Her life at Yale was something thousands of people would be jealous of, but even though Quinn knew this, it just didn't feel… _complete_. Sometimes it scared her that Santana was such a big part of her life now, but in the end she would never, _could never, _let her go. It was too late for that.

Quinn fell for Santana, and she fell hard.

'You know, sometimes I still think this isn't real. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is… But back in McKinley, could you have guessed that we'd end up together?'

Santana recalled her memories of the high school days. 'Never, although I did think you were hot,' she admitted.

'Really…' Quinn replied with a smirk on her face.

Santana squinted her eyes at the other girl, as if to tell her not to get too cocky. 'And this is why I never told you.'

'For what it's worth, I thought you were hot too. If we hadn't spent so much time fighting, I totally would've dated you.'

'Except for the fact that you weren't into girls,' Santana added, however still smiling after hearing Quinn's confession.

'Well, I guess I've never thought about it back then. I was just so… busy with my reputation, trying to be the perfect daughter, the perfect cheerio, having the perfect boyfriend, all of that. But you know, in the end, none of that mattered. It was never gonna be good enough, I wasn't happy.'

Santana nodded. She knew that high school always came with a lot of pressure. Especially for her and Quinn. They both built up a certain image. Although popular, their reputations were completely different from each other. What they had in common was that either of them would have done _anything_ to protect it.

'What about now?' Santana asked.

'I don't care about that anymore. I choose to be happy. I choose to be with you.'

'I'm glad you did,' Santana answered as she gave her girlfriend a peck on the cheek. Quinn wasn't the only one who came a long way since McKinley. Coming out was one hell of a struggle, it wasn't even her own choice to begin with. But in a way, she was glad to have had that push. In the end it only made her stronger. Was it easy? No. Was it worth it? _Definitely._

* * *

Santana stroked Quinn's hair as she watched her fall asleep. It's been an amazing day, but tomorrow they'd have to return to the harsh reality. Quinn had to get back to New Haven and Santana had to get back to work.

She let out a sigh as she reached for the nightstand and grabbed her phone. There were a lot of messages.

**Puck: Happy birthday! Next we're both in town we should celebrate, love ya**

**Mercedes: Hey girl, wish you a happy birthday! How are you anyway? Haven't talked to you in ages!**

**Tina: We just wanted to say happy birthday Santana! Xx Tina and Mike**

**Mr. Schue: Hi Santana, Emma and I wish you a happy birthday! Make the best out of it!**

**Blaine: Happy birthday, hope you're having a great day! And could you ask Kurt to call me back please? Thanks!**

**Rachel: Are you guys gonna join us for dinner? We wanna celebrate too you know! ;) **

As she scrolled further down she couldn't help but smile at all the messages. Then she saw _Brittany's _name. A few times actually.

Santana did feel guilty that she hadn't talked to the girl since her… unexpected visit. But she knew it was probably for the best to keep her distance, at least for a while. This would give both Brittany and Quinn some time to adjust. Who knows, they might all become friends again like they used to be... Although Santana realized, that was a lot to hope for.

She started opening Brittany's texts.

**Brittany: Happy birthday San, I miss you. Can you call me back? There's something I need to tell you.**

**Brittany: Please let me know if you get this**

**Brittany: I really really want to talk to you, I've got news!**

Santana scrolled down to the last message, anxious to find out what Brittany was talking about.

**Brittany: Okay I wanted to call you, but you're not picking up. So I just wanted to say… Guess who's moving to New York?**

* * *

**Note: **Oh no she didn't. Well it's time to shake things up again, Quinn and Santana have been doing fine the past few weeks... But what happens when Brittany moves to New York? And Quinn's still back in New Haven... Time to test their trust.


	22. It Changes Everything

**Note: **By now you probably get that I love drama. Well thanks to my mom I grew up watching the Bold and the Beautiful (hilariously eventful), so really, drama was a given haha! Thankfully I also love happy endings, but if that's what you hope to find in this chapter I will have to disappoint you. You're just gonna have to trust me, patience people :)

* * *

It was morning. Santana still hadn't replied to Brittany's text. What was she supposed to say? _I can't believe this._

Quinn just left the shower, getting ready for the drive back to New Haven.

'Are you okay?' Quinn asked as she noticed Santana looking somewhat puzzled.

'Y-Yeah,' Santana managed. She knew she had to tell Quinn, or their trust would be lost forever.

'Well that wasn't very convincing. What's up?'

Santana took a moment to get herself together before speaking. 'Quinn… I need to tell you something.'

Quinn raised an eyebrow in confusion. She was sure that they were doing alright, at least she thought so. 'Okay… Tell me. You're starting to scare me.'

Santana motioned her girlfriend to come sit next to her on the bed. As Quinn did so, Santana grabbed her hand. This was _definitely_ not helping with Quinn's suspicions.

'Yesterday… I got a text.'

'It was your birthday, can't say I'm surprised,' Quinn replied, trying to lighten the mood. Whatever Santana had to say, it was probably serious as the Latina refused to smile.

'It was a text from _Brittany_.' Santana swallowed hard, trying to prepare herself for what's to come. This wasn't even the worst of it.

Quinn nodded. She tried not to jump to any conclusions, they both learned that it would have disastrous results. 'What did she say?' she asked, surprised at how calm she sounded.

'Well… She wished me a happy birthday, and… She told me she's moving here, to New York. Quinn say something.'

'I – I don't… What am I supposed to say?' Quinn got up and walked up to the window, trying to process what she just heard. She couldn't face Santana right now. 'We were doing fine…'

'And we still are Q, this doesn't change anything!' Santana tried to reason.

'How can you say that? It changes _everything_!' Quinn yelled as she turned around, now in tears.

'Please, we can make this work. That's what you said.'

'Yeah well what the hell did I know. How am I supposed to deal with this? Here I am, about to leave, and you're telling me that she's gonna be living here?'

'It's not like I asked her to move to New York, I want you!'

'But she's the one that's gonna be here Santana, and what if you… What if you need someone and –'

Santana cut her off. 'I do need someone, _you_!' She grabbed Quinn by the shoulders to make sure they were facing each other. 'I don't want Brittany. You have to understand that.'

'No, _you _have to understand!' Quinn yelled as she managed to get out of Santana's grip. 'You have to understand that I just, I don't know if I can handle this. Lately there's always something standing in our way. It's as if the world just doesn't want us to be together. What chance do we have? Tell me,'

'I…' Santana was at a loss of words. It did seem like hopeless situation. She knew she didn't want Brittany, but how was Quinn ever going to trust her if their biggest threat would soon be living in New York?

'Right…' Quinn said softly. They both sat down in silence, feeling equally defeated.

'I don't want to lose you,' Santana said, trying to look Quinn in the eyes.

Quinn shook her head, she didn't know how to deal with all of this. She struggled to understand how what started as a one night stand could turn into something this complicated.

'It's not supposed to be this hard…' Quinn said softly.

'Don't,' Santana started. 'Don't do that, talk as if we're about to break up.'

'Santana I –'

'No! We can fix this! I could – I could move to New Haven, and find a job there, I don't care!'

'And then what? You're gonna be miserable, and I don't want to be the reason! Don't you get it? Maybe we're just not meant to be.'

'Please, there has to be a way,' Santana begged. Never would she have thought that she'd actually be begging Quinn Fabray to stay with her, but this is how it turned out to be. Quinn was a part of Santana, and if she left, Santana knew she'd be lost.

'Santana stop,'

'No, I won't! I love you damn it!'

'I… I can't right now…' Quinn got up and grabbed her bag before making her way over to the door.

'Quinn!' Santana called, trying to get the other girl to turn around. But to no avail.

As she heard the door close she sat back down in frustration. She felt powerless, and it was a dreadful feeling.

After an hour or so Santana still found herself sitting on the bed, with her head in her hands. She tried to think of all the things she could've said or done that might have stopped Quinn from walking out that door. But she had nothing.

The sound of her phone buzzing shook her out of her trance. She reached for her phone, hoping it was Quinn.

**Incoming call **

**Brittany**

She didn't know why, but she answered the call.

_'Santana! Did you get my message? I'm moving to New York!'_

Even though Santana had picked up the phone, she didn't feel like talking. She found herself unable to answer Brittany.

_'This older guy dressed in a suit saw us perform at regionals, and he offered me a job in New York for after I graduate next month! He casts dancers for multiple artists, I can't believe they picked me!'_

_'San? Are you there?'_

She couldn't bring herself to speak, so she just hung up the phone, surely leaving Brittany confused at the other end of the line. She didn't even care to congratulate her.

Santana still struggled to grasp what just happened. Yesterday everything was alright, she was kissing Quinn, holding her hand, it was perfect. If it hadn't been for the last part of the day it would've been her best birthday yet. But now…

Everything just felt _wrong_.

She wasn't even sure if they were still together. Could Quinn have been right? Maybe… It wasn't meant to be. Santana however refused to accept this. She wanted, hell, she _needed_ Quinn, but how was she going to convince her that they actually stood a chance?


	23. In New Haven

**Note: **I realize my story is somewhat of a rollercoaster. I'm still trying to figure out the pace, it's my first fic so this is just me fidgeting around with my thoughts. Which are apparantly all over the place, haha. I feel kind of bad about the last chapter, that's not how it should've gone. Thank you reviewers for making me see that. :)

* * *

Quinn sat in class, trying to focus on her schoolwork. It was only the day after she walked out on Santana. She tried not to think about it, but the Latina somehow managed to sneak into all of her thoughts. Quinn kept replaying their last conversation in her head, over and over. It was like an endless loop. Every time she pictured herself walking out that door, she felt more guilty. Quinn definitely had big doubts about Brittany moving to New York, but it wasn't Santana's fault.

'Miss Fabray?'

Quinn looked up to find her teacher staring her down.

'Could you answer the question I just asked you?' The man asked, obviously aware of the fact that Quinn wasn't actually paying attention.

Quinn opened her mouth but nothing came out. She raised her hands as if to say she had no clue.

'Well then. I only teach to those who actually listen, miss Fabray, I must ask you to leave this classroom. Come back when you have learned that Yale is not a joke.'

_Ass, _Quinn thought to herself. She was smart enough not to say that out loud, or surely this wouldn't have been the end of it. The man was known for being a strict teacher, if you want to put it in a nice way. She picked up her stuff and left the room.

Quinn made her way outside and took a seat on a bench. It was awfully peaceful outside, most people were still in class. She didn't mind though, getting away from all of it might have been just what she needed. She took her phone out of her bag and checked for any messages. As she unlocked the screen she suddenly noticed an incoming call.

It was Rachel. She could only imagine how Rachel probably wanted to scold her for leaving Santana like that. It was strange, Santana and Rachel have never been exactly… _close_ in high school. Quinn remembered the countless times the Latina actually tried to ruin the little diva's life. But now they always seemed to have each other's back.

Quinn let out a sigh before picking up the phone, she knew she had to face this sooner or later.

_'Rachel,'_ Quinn started.

'_Don't Rachel me, we need to talk!'_

_ 'I know,'_

_'Santana's been moping around ever since you left. Look, I know it looks bad okay? Yes, Brittany will be living in New York. But Santana loves you and you know that! Why can't you trust her?'_

_'Why can't anybody seem to understand that it's not that easy for me?'_

_'Quinn, this is not just about you. Santana didn't do anything wrong.'_

_'And I did?'_

_'Yes.'_

Rachel's reply surprised Quinn.

_'I know you guys have had your trust issues, but high school was a long time ago. Quinn, you need to start letting this go.'_

_'I –'_

_'I'm gonna be real with you, because you've done that for me in the past. If you can't find it in yourself to grow up, Santana might actually be better off without you. And I know you don't want that, so please, try. That'll be all. Goodbye Quinn.'_

And with that Rachel hung up the phone.

_Grow up? _Quinn was left a little stunned, Rachel Berry of all people just told her to grow up. As much as it offended her at first, she slowly came to the realization that Rachel might have been right.

Throughout high school Quinn always felt like she was competing to be the best. She'd grown accustomed to the fact that everyone was out to get her, even when a lot of the times they weren't. Quinn couldn't risk it either way. She learned to not trust anyone but herself. And for what? The loneliness?

They weren't in high school anymore, yet trust issues were very much a current problem. As much as she knew she had to let go of this feeling, she couldn't help but feel scared to let anyone get close to her. She felt the need to protect herself from the heartbreak. She cared about Santana, more than she's ever cared about anyone. And for that very reason, there was a lot on the line. Brittany moving to New York might as well have been a death sentence for their relationship.

Except that it didn't have to be.

She pulled out her phone again and started typing out a text.

**Quinn: S, I'm sorry for walking out on you.**

Quinn waited patiently for Santana to reply, even though she wasn't sure if she would. Yet after a few moments, her phone buzzed.

**Santana: I can't keep doing this Quinn.**

**Quinn: I know**

**Santana: I need you to trust me, or you're right, we don't stand a chance.**

**Quinn: You know I want to**

**Santana: Then what's stopping you? Look I understand that Brittany moving here is not exactly good for our relationship… But don't you realize that I love you?**

**Quinn: I need time to figure this out…**

And that was the last message sent. _This was for the best, right?_

* * *

Later that night Quinn returned to her dorm room, letting herself fall onto the bed. Santana never replied to her last text, not that Quinn was surprised.

Quinn wanted to be with Santana, but she also realized she couldn't keep hurting her.

_Figure this out… _Quinn frowned at her own words, because honestly, she had no idea how to do it. Is there some kind of remedy for trust issues?

Suddenly she heard a loud banging on the door. It startled her, but she made her way over to the door. She figured it was her roommate, coming home drunk from some college party. Although Quinn was well aware of her roommate's partying habits, she was surprised at the fact that the girl even came home at all.

As she swung the door open, she noticed that it was not her roommate standing in front of her.

'Santana –'

Before Quinn could question the Latina's visit she was stopped, as Santana roughly pulled Quinn into a kiss, not even bothering to say hello. After a few moments Santana stepped back, now looking the blonde in the eyes as if she's waiting for a response.

Quinn could contemplate whether or not this was right.

But instead of her head, she just went with her_ heart_.

She stepped forward, closing the gap between them once more and pulled Santana in for a kiss. Quinn grabbed Santana's hand and guided her into the room, their lips never losing contact.

Santana managed to pull out of the kiss before they made their way over to the bed, revealing a warm smile on her face. They were still holding hands. 'Quinn, we can figure it out _together_,' she said softly, as if she held the answer to Quinn's text in all day.

A smile formed on Quinn's face. Maybe Santana was right. She did need to figure this out, but maybe… She didn't have to do it on her own. All she knew was that it sure as hell seemed a lot brighter with Santana by her side.

'You and me?' Quinn asked, her lips still gently brushing along Santana's.

'I'm not leaving your side until you get it through to your head that I'm absolutely head over heels in love with you.'

'You're crazy,'

'I'd say crazy about you, but I don't want to sound all cheesy...'

'Shut up,' Quinn said smiling, pulling Santana in for another kiss.

* * *

**Note: **Although Quinn will definitely have to learn to fight for Santana, I think this is where it should start. Santana is the one who needs to open Quinn's eyes. Simply because Brittany moving to New York is in fact a big deal, and as much as Quinn can overreact, can't really blame her for having suspicions either.

_Next chapter_: When Santana said she's not leaving Quinn's side, she really means _not leaving her side. _This chapter will also be set in New Haven.


	24. Start Believing

'What's that,' Quinn asked as she pointed at the suitcase next to the door, that Santana apparently brought with her.

'I told you. I'm not leaving your side until you realize how much I love you,' Santana replied casually.

Quinn cocked an eyebrow. 'Wait, you're serious?'

'I never joke around Q,' Santana said as she walked over to her suitcase.

This caused Quinn to frown. 'Eh, you do.'

'Fine,' Santana admitted as she dragged her suitcase into the room. She approached Quinn and locked eyes with the blonde. 'But I'm serious. I love you. And you're going to realize that.' She placed a quick kiss on Quinn's lips and made her way over to the closet.

'So top or bottom shelf? I needz a place for my clothes you know.'

Quinn smiled and shook her head. 'You can take the top shelf I guess.' She watched the Latina rearrange her closet. Suddenly she thought of something. 'Wait, don't you have a job?'

'I quit,' the Latina answered shortly, her head still facing the closet.

Quinn looked at her in surprise. 'Whoa, what? You quit for me?'

Santana turned around as she threw some of Quinn's clothes on the bed. 'Don't flatter yourself, I wanted to quit anyway. But yes, for you too.'

Quinn didn't know what to say. She still couldn't believe that Santana was actually doing this. _She's crazy. And I love it._

'_What – _is this?' Santana asked with a sudden grin on her face. She pulled a rather interesting piece of lingerie out of Quinn's closet. It practically consisted of three very tiny pieces of rope. 'Wanky,' she said as she continued to examine the tiny bit of fabric.

'Oh my god put that away,' the blonde exclaimed as she felt herself starting to blush. 'It was just some weird gift I got from my roommate, it was a joke.'

'I like her sense of humor,' Santana replied as the grin on her face got only bigger. 'But wait, your roommate buys you lingerie? Maybe I'm the one who should be worried,' she joked.

Quinn rolled her eyes. 'It's college. Students be crazy.' She tried her best to make it sound gangster and raised her hands to make it more convincing.

Santana let out a chuckle. 'You can't pull that shit off.'

Quinn laughed, she knew her impression was awful.

Later that night they both crawled into Quinn's bed. The blonde snuggled into Santana's neck and let out a sigh.

'I think I can used to this,' Quinn said softly as she closed her eyes.

Santana smiled at this and gave her girlfriend a kiss on the forehead.

* * *

The next day Quinn woke up to find that she was in bed alone. _Was yesterday a dream? _She thought for a moment. But as she scanned the room she suddenly saw Santana walking out of the bathroom, fully dressed, and she even did her hair. 'Good morning beautiful.'

'Morning,' Quinn replied hazily. She wondered why Santana was up this early, it's not like she had anywhere to go in New Haven.

'So Q, what classes do we have today?'

Quinn was now wide awake. 'Excuse me, did you say _we_?'

'Yes, _we. _You're gonna see that we're in this together. And by that I mean all of it.'

Quinn just shook her head. 'You can't do that, there's no way they'd let you in.'

Santana playfully raised an eyebrow at the blonde. 'You underestimate me Fabray.'

'Fine, come with me, whatever,' Quinn replied while rolling her eyes. She didn't believe Santana would get in, but who was she to stop her from trying?

Santana took a quick look at her girlfriend. 'You're gonna have to get dressed though. Get your lazy ass out of bed.'

Quinn sighed, but did as she was told. 'It's like my mom moved in with me.'

'Don't even go there.' Santana laughed.

Quinn made her way over to the bathroom to get ready. 'You know,' Quinn started. Santana looked up just in time to catch the shirt that just flew out of the bathroom. Quinn popped her head out the door and gave the Latina her most tempting look. 'I _really _wish you would've waited, we could've showered together…'

Santana swallowed. 'I can take another shower…'

A grin appeared on Quinn's face. 'Too late!' And with that she closed the door.

'Damn it Q!' Santana yelled. 'No fair…'

'Life's not fair Santana,' Quinn's voice echoed from the shower.

Santana rolled her eyes as she mumbled something in Spanish.

About a half an hour later Quinn was ready to go.

'Where to?' Santana asked.

'Acting class.'

The two started walking to the classroom as Quinn led the way. When they entered the room they were greeted by an older man with a short gray beard, and he wore tiny glasses. He kind of reminded Santana of curnell Sanders.

'Well hello miss Fabray. Who's your friend here?'

Quinn just shrugged.

Santana walked up to the man to introduce herself. 'The name's Santana Lopez.'

The man raised one furry eyebrow in confusion. 'I see. Miss Lopez, care to tell us why you're here? I don't believe you're a student.'

Santana took a moment to think of what she was going to say. But then she figured it out.

'Do you believe in love, professor?' She asked.

Quinn couldn't help but let out a chuckle. She was incredibly curious to see where this was going.

The man was confused, to say the least. 'I don't –'

'You see sir,' Santana cut him off. 'I'm trying to prove my love to this girl. I think she is the most amazing being in this world, but she won't believe me. I am here to show her that no matter what she does, or where she goes, I will be by her side.'

She turns around to face Quinn and quickly mouths her an 'I love you' before looking back at the professor.

'So, what do you say? Can I stay in your class?'

'While your gesture is admirable miss Lopez, I don't think –'

'Do you have anything against gays, professor?' Santana asked, squinting her eyes at the older man. She realized if the man didn't fall for her speech, she'd have to change tactics. It looked like it worked.

'What? N – No, that's not what I –' he stuttered, suddenly looking embarrassed.

'Good, so…' Santana looked at the professor in anticipation.

Finally the man let out a sigh. 'Fine, you can stay. But do not disrupt my class or I will be forced to send you out. Is that clear?'

The Latina nodded.

And with that he left to take his position in front of the class.

Quinn looked at her girlfriend in disbelief. 'I can't believe you just did that.'

Santana held her hand to Quinn's cheek before answering.

'Well start believing, because I'm in it for the long run baby.'

* * *

**Note: **So how about some happy time?


	25. Not A Chance

**Note: **Sorry this will be a short chapter! I've been busy but I did want to leave you with _something. _So voilá!

* * *

It's been about a week since Santana arrived at New Haven, and she's become quite familiar at Yale. Teachers even greeted her, asking her how it's been going with Quinn. Every time they did Santana looked back at Quinn, who's smile grew bigger every day. Quinn had to admit, they have been doing great.

Today was Saturday, they would have all day to themselves. They were still in bed, Quinn however was the first to wake up this time. She watched Santana sleep as the Latina had perfectly wrapped her arms around Quinn. _If only it could be this way forever._

'I can feel you staring at me you know.'

Quinn smiled as she realized Santana wasn't actually asleep. 'Guess I just can't help myself.'

Santana opened her eyes and shifts so she could face Quinn. 'Morning,' she whispered, planting a kiss the blonde's lips. The novelty of waking up next to the girl never seemed to wear off, she still loved every second of it. And she was hoping Quinn was starting to realize this.

'I was thinking…' Quinn started. 'Maybe we could go to east rock park today. I just wanna show you some other places, I'm sure Yale's starting to bore you.'

'As long as I'm around you I could never get bored,' Santana assures her. 'But I have to say, a walk in the park sounds pretty good.'

Quinn nodded. 'I love this. You and me, I just… I'm really glad you didn't give up on me.'

Santana just shook her head. 'How could I Q? I love you.'

Even though Santana would be lying if she said it hadn't crossed her mind, she could never let Quinn go. There was just something about her that made her feel like she's never felt before. Santana knew Quinn was the most amazing thing that's ever happened to her, and if she had to fight to keep her, she would. 'Besides, I think the teachers here are starting to like me.'

'Yeah you might have to stay out of some of my classes, I'm starting to think they like you better than me,' Quinn said as she let out a chuckle.

'But… I can see… Why they like you,' she whispered in a low husky voice as she brought her face closer to Santana's. 'You are amazing, Santana Lopez.' Quinn put her hand to the Latina's cheek and pulled her in for a kiss. Santana gladly obliged.

* * *

Later that afternoon they arrived at east rock park. They held each other's hand as they wandered around. As much as Santana following Quinn around at Yale entertained the blonde, it was nice to be away from campus.

'This was a great idea Quinn. It's amazing out here.' Santana looked around, still soaking in the sight.

'Yeah… I always come here when I just need to get away from things, it really clears my head you know?'

The Latina nodded. 'I'm happy you took me with you this time.'

'Me too,' Quinn replied with a warm smile.

As they wandered off further, Quinn asked, 'So what are you gonna do… When you're back in New York? I mean, without your job and everything…' She wasn't going to bring Brittany up, just... Not yet.

Santana let out a sigh. 'I don't know… Rachel's been pushing me to take dance classes at NYADA.'

'Maybe you should,' Quinn suggested. 'I know you have killer moves.'

This caused Santana to laugh. 'Killer moves, huh? Don't I know it,' she teased.

'Shut up that's not what I meant!' Quinn chuckled as she softly punched her girlfriend in the arm. 'But I'm serious, I think you should consider it.'

'I just… Maybe, I don't know.'

'You came to New York to pursue your dreams. And if this could be one of them, then what's holding you back?' Quinn knew that Santana needed a push in the right direction, and maybe – just maybe – Quinn could be the one to do it.

'What if it's not what I want?'

'You won't find out by just sitting there doing nothing,' Quinn pointed out.

Santana started to laugh. 'She goes off to Yale, and all of the sudden she's a smarty pants.'

Quinn faced her girlfriend and gave her a mischievous smile. 'Yes I am. So you better listen to me Lopez.'

Santana playfully raised an eyebrow. 'I have to say, this side of you really turns me on.' A grin started to form on the Latina's face. 'You know Q. It's pretty quiet out here…'

Quinn rolled her eyes as she realized what Santana was trying to say. 'It's a public place Santana.'

The Latina simply raised one eyebrow in response. 'So?'

'So, we can't do – that,' Quinn said although honestly, she was tempted by the idea.

'Wanna bet?' Santana teased, it was obvious she wasn't about to back down.

The blonde squinted her as eyes at the other girl, as if to tell her it was never gonna happen. 'Not a chance.' Quinn said with a smirk, as she let go of Santana's hand and backed up.

Santana wasn't really sure if this was Quinn proving her point, or an attempt to tease. She decided to go with the latter.

She grabbed Quinn's hand and pulled her back as they now faced each other, their sudden proximity causing both their hearts to race. 'I beg to differ,' Santana whispered into the blonde's ear before she pressed her soft lips up against Quinn's.

Quinn felt herself getting lost in the kiss and put her hands on the Latina's waist, pulling her even closer. As much as she would've enjoyed just teasing Santana…

She knew she didn't stand a chance.


	26. Just Do It

After their 'walk in the park' Quinn decided to take Santana out for dinner. They haven't really gone on a public date since Santana got to New Haven aside from the park, but it wasn't so much of an issue. After all, everyone on campus knew about Santana by now. Some of Quinn's classmates even yelled 'Quinntana!' when they walked into the room. They've pretty much grown inseparable over the past few days, but Quinn knew that Santana couldn't stay in New Haven forever.

'Fancy place Q,' Santana said as she looked around. They were at Barcelona, one of the finest restaurants in New Haven.

'Only the best for my lovely girlfriend,' Quinn replied with a smile. 'And, you're my guest so I have to treat you right.'

Santana let out a chuckle. 'That you do…'

'You deserve it. I know it hasn't been easy for you either…' Quinn looks away as she realizes that she's been hard on Santana. But even after everything that's happened, she was still here.

Santana takes Quinn's hand and offers her a comforting look. 'Love isn't supposed to be easy. I know that's what everyone says, but the truth is… It takes effort to make a relationship work. And I gotta tell you, it's worth every bit of it.'

Quinn nods before placing a kiss on the Latina's cheek. 'Yeah, it is…'

Santana smiled as she seems pleased with Quinn's response.

'Hey Q,'

'Yeah?'

'That roommate of yours, where does she hang out all the time? I've been here like a week and I haven't even met her.'

Quinn just shrugs. 'I guess she usually stays over at her boyfriend's place or spends the night passed out on the couch somewhere.'

'That's dedication right there.'

Quinn smiled, 'yeah, but I get to have the room to myself a lot so I don't mind.'

'Neither do I,' Santana responds with a grin.

'Excuse me, would you like to order?'

They both look up to find the waiter looking at them in anticipation.

Santana realized she didn't even pick anything off the menu yet. Before she could send the waiter away to come back later Quinn interjected.

'We'll both have the Chicken Pimientos and the beet salad,' she says as she returns the menu card to the waiter. She looks back at Santana. 'It's really good I promise.'

'And for drinks?'

'Water for me, and… A diet coke for you right?'

Santana nods, as she's still fascinated by how well Quinn knows her.

The waiter notes their order and walks away.

'You're ordering for me now?' Santana asks as she lifts one eyebrow in attempt to tease.

'I hope you didn't mind, I just –'

Santana chuckled at her girlfriend's insecurity about the matter. 'No, I like this. I mean, we're like a real couple you know?'

Quinn smiles at this. 'We are, I don't want you to doubt that. I know I have my issues, but I'm really happy with you. Just… want you to know that.'

Santana nods in understanding. 'I know. We're gonna make this work, kay?' she assures her.

And for the first time, Quinn actually believed it. She's said it before, but this was different. Santana's been showing her nothing but love, and not just this week. Quinn was starting to realize that Santana's always been there. And she had faith in the fact that Santana would stay with her, even though she can't always be around. Quinn knew she had to start trusting her girlfriend. And right now, she felt like she was slowly learning to do that.

'Yeah,' she replied as a smile formed on her face.

Santana noticed something different about Quinn in the way she said it, but she couldn't quite place it.

Suddenly a waiter passes by as he rolls around a cart with some delicious smelling food. Santana looked over in disappointment, realizing they would probably have to wait at least a half an hour before their own food would arrive.

She lets out a sigh. 'God that looks so good. I'm starving.'

'Might still be a while, it gets pretty crowded on Saturdays.'

'It's okay, I can wait… It's desert that I'm craving for most.' As Santana said this she wiggled her eyebrows at Quinn, who simply rolled her eyes in response.

'You are unbelievable.'

'It's your fault, you're just so damn hot.'

This caused Quinn to let out a chuckle, she feels herself starting to blush. _Only you, _she thought to herself.

The waiter approached their table with their drinks. 'Water and a diet coke.' He poured the content of the bottles into their glasses.

'Thanks,' they both reply in unison.

Another half hour passes before the waiter returns, serving their food.

'This looks amazing.' Santana couldn't wait to stick a fork in the delicious looking chicken.

'I know, that's why it's my favorite place.'

'I'm definitely coming back here,' Santana said as she chewed on a piece of chicken.

Quinn wondered when that would be. Santana had to return to New York at some point.

'So…' Quinn started.

'What is it Q?'

Quinn was scared to bring the topic up, but she knew they had to talk about it some time.

'When's Brittany moving to New York…?'

Santana swallowed. She didn't expect Quinn to start talking about Brittany. It wasn't that Santana was worried about having feelings for her, but she was still scared that bringing in the topic would scare Quinn off again.

'I don't… I don't know. I mean, she called me to tell me she got offered this job as a dancer for after graduation… So… I guess somewhere in the summer. I don't really know that much, since I didn't actually respond during our last phone call… Considering…'

Before she could finish her sentence Quinn interrupted. 'You should call her.'

This caused Santana to frown. She didn't know what Quinn was trying to do. 'What?'

'You should call her, I'm sure she'd really want to hear from you.'

'I – I don't,' Santana struggled as she was still confused.

'It's okay,' Quinn tries to assure her. Although she was really testing her own feelings.

'Are you sure?'

Quinn nods.

'Alright…'

As they made their way outside after dinner they got into Quinn's car.

'Just do it,' Quinn encourages.

Santana did want to call Brittany, after all, she felt bad about the fact that she just hung up the last time. However, she couldn't help but feel hesitant as she worried about Quinn. Santana pulls out her phone and starts dialing. Before she presses the call button she gives Quinn one last glance.

'Say hi to her for me,' Quinn said as she managed a subtle smile.

Santana places a kiss on the blonde's lips before she finally decides to make the call.

_'Santana?'_

_'Yeah, it's me Britt,' _Santana replies, however not losing eye contact with Quinn.

_'I'm sorry about our last phone call. I mean you got this great news and I just hung up on you.'_

_'It's fine, I get it, I'm sorry San… I didn't think about you and Quinn, I was just so excited.'_

_'I'm really happy for you britt.'_

_'Thanks… So how are you and Quinn?'_

Santana looks over at her girlfriend with a loving smile. _'Quinn and I are doing great.'_

Quinn couldn't help but feel better, so far she could tell Brittany wasn't trying to break them up.

_'I'm happy for you too Santana… For you both.'_

_'Me too.'_

_'I have to go though, I have dance rehearsal in five minutes. But… It was nice to talk to you again. I miss this.'_

_'Yeah, I know...'_

_'Okay I really gotta hang up now, they've already started the warm up. Talk to you later okay?'_

_'Wait before you go, Quinn says hi,' _Santana quickly replies as she winks at Quinn.

_'Tell her I miss her San, you too.'_

_'I will.'_

And with that she hung up the phone. Santana had to admit, this phone call felt like a relief. She couldn't help but feel a certain tension ever since Brittany told her she was moving to New York.

'She said she misses you Q,' Santana said as she put her phone down.

She looked over at Quinn, who seemed to be doing okay. Or maybe even more than okay.

'I love you,' Quinn said softly.

Santana placed her hands on the blonde's cheek. 'I love you too,' she answered before pulling her in for a kiss.

'San…'

'Hmm?'

'I think…' Quinn paused for a moment as a smile appears on her face.

'I think we'll be okay.'

* * *

**Note****: **So that's another chapter! It's a bit longer than the last one, sorry 'bout that short bit. I've been busy writing another Quinntana fic, it's called **Find Myself**, check it out if you want to. It's a bit different than this one (though similar in some ways), it's a little less soap opera and a little more steady :) I think I'm gonna start wrapping this one up in a few chapters. Though I have to say once again, thank you for the reviews!


	27. Tonight

**Note: **The past week I was kinda stuck with this story, so I pretty much just went with writing my other fic (once again, check it out if you haven't seen it :). But since **ErosEternaGlee **oh so nicely asked me to update this story, I decided to get things going again. Hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

Somehow tonight was different.

It was different from all the other nights they've spent together. For the first time Quinn realized her true feelings for Santana, and more importantly, she realized Santana's true feelings for her. She asked her to call Brittany. _What was I thinking? _Quinn thought to herself as soon as she said it out loud. It might have been a dumb move, but she knew there was no turning back.

As Santana was talking to Brittany Quinn waited for that eerie threatening feeling to come over her.

But it never did.

During the whole conversation Santana didn't fail to look Quinn in the eyes, not for a moment. Quinn couldn't help but smile, _I am so in love with this girl._

After the phone call they immediately left to get back to campus. It's not like Santana had a choice since Quinn was the one driving at the speed of light, however still managing not to break any traffic rules. Quinn was eager to prove her love for the Latina.

'I love you,' Quinn said once more as she took a turn to the left.

This caused Santana to frown. Not because she minded, but she noticed something different in her girlfriend's behavior.

'What's with you tonight? Don't get me wrong, I understand that I'm loveable and everything, but you're acting… different.'

Quinn could only smile at this. 'Is that a good thing or a bad thing?' she asked as she added a smirk.

Quinn's newfound confidence kind of caught Santana off guard, but she had to admit, it was certainly a good fit. Santana always knew Quinn was beautiful, kind, smart, and just simply amazing. She had every right to be confident.

'Depends, what's the reason?' Santana asked as she cocked her eyebrow at the other girl, though it was a legitimate question. She still couldn't quite figure out what was going on.

If she only knew Quinn was about to show her.

As they reached the parking lot, Quinn pulled over. She turned her head to face Santana, and took a moment to herself to figure out how to answer.

'What is it?' Santana asked, starting to get worried.

'I just…' Quinn started.

'Tonight, I realized something.' She let out a sigh before continuing to explain. 'You're here.'

Santana frowned again. 'Of course I am, what –'

'No let me finish,' Quinn interrupted as she raised her hands as if to tell her to stop talking.

'You're here, and you were always here. You stuck by me despite all the crap we went through. And I just realize how lucky I am to have you. This week has been amazing. I love you, and everything about you. I love how you tricked the teachers into letting you stay in class, just to be with me. I love how you're crazy like that.'

Santana couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as she recalled her conversations with Quinn's teachers. They must've thought she was insane.

'I love how you get cranky sometimes, and how I am oddly turned on by it. I love how you feel the need to protect other people, even though you pretend you don't care. And I love how I can be myself around you, and the way you make me feel. Whenever I felt insecure, you were there to show me I didn't need to be. And now I know.'

'Yeah?' Santana didn't know what else to say. All she could do was smile. If it were anyone else she would've mocked them about the cheesiness of the confession, but right now, it just melted her.

'Yeah…' Quinn whispered as her face was now close to Santana's. She lightly grazed the Latina's cheeks with her lips before another smirk gradually appeared on her face. 'Now get your ass out of the car so we can get back to the room.'

As Quinn backed away Santana playfully squinted her eyes at the other girl. 'Don't have to tell me that twice.'

As they quickly got out of the car Quinn grabbed Santana's hand and led her back to the room. When they reached the door Quinn nervously fumbled her pockets to find the keys. Before she could find them she felt Santana's hands reach into her back pocket as she nearly let out a moan. She turned around to find Santana dangling the keys in front of her.

'You forgot them, so I put them in your back pocket remember?' She said with a smile. Obviously it was also a great excuse to touch her girlfriends ass.

Santana pushed the keys into the lock and opened the door with ease. Before she could drop the keys Quinn had her pinned against the door, slamming it closed in the process.

'I gotta say… I am totally loving this,' Santana admitted between taking breaths as Quinn was now hungrily kissing her neck.

Quinn paused for a moment to look the Latina in the eyes. 'I love you… And tonight it's my turn to show you,' She whispered as she closed the small gap between them with a kiss.

'Just…'

_Another kiss._

'how…'

_Another kiss._

'much…'

Quinn held one hand to the back of the Latina's neck as the other worked its way up beneath her shirt.

'Damn Quinn Fabray, where have you been hiding out,' Santana joked while catching her breath as Quinn backed away to pull her towards the bed.

She gave her a final tug before Santana fell on top of Quinn, their bodies crashing onto the mattress.

'Ow!' Quinn cried out as she hit her head against the wooden frame.

'Remind me to get extra pillows,' she said before they both burst out in laughter.

'I let you take the lead once…' Santana smiled as she shook her head at the blonde's clumsiness.

'Oh shut up, we're not done yet,'

'I don't know Q, it seems kinda risky,' Santana teased.

'Well that's okay,' Quinn calmly replied, 'because we have all night to get it right.'

This caused Santana to grin. 'God I love it when you get all sexy like that.'

'Only then?' Quinn asked, cheerfully lifting one eyebrow at the girl still lying on top of her.

Santana simply shook her head.

'No,' she answered as she raised one hand and held it to Quinn's cheek.

'_Always._'

'Is that so…' Quinn replied in a low husky voice.

'Hm-hmm,' Santana nodded.

Quinn's lips slowly curved upwards as she smiled in content. She pulled Santana closer to her to place a soft kiss on the Latina's lips.

One short one, and then a longer, hungry kiss. It didn't take long for their clothes to come off afterwards.

Even though they had done this a million times, they could never get bored with each other. Neither of them could ever get enough of the other, in more than just the physical ways.

Tonight wasn't just about sex. Tonight was about love.

Love, and _nothing_ less.

* * *

**Note: **I could never write smut, simply because I'd probably be awful at it. In case you haven't noticed, during the whole story I've been avoiding the actual act like the plague, lol. That's basically why I decided to make it rated T in the first place. However, I guess I don't mind exploring what's in between. So... I know it's a tad short, but how was the chapter for you? Any good?

I wish you all a nice day!


	28. What Happened?

**Note: **I think they've been doing fine these past few chapters, right? Hmm..

* * *

The morning after Quinn lay in bed as she nuzzled into the crook of her girlfriend's neck. Santana was still sleeping. Quinn kept thinking about last night. For once she decided to let all her worries go, and she had to admit, it _really _paid off.

A moment later she noticed Santana's slight movement. 'San? You awake?'

'Mmm…'

It wasn't much of a response, Quinn figured she was probably still drained from last night. She couldn't help but smile contently before kissing her on the cheek, slowly working her way up to Santana's temple.

'Wake up,' she whispered into her ear.

'Mmm… not yet…' Santana murmured.

From there on out it was pretty much a game to Quinn to get her girlfriend to wake up properly. She started nibbling on her ear and it seemed to have an effect. She knew Santana had a weak spot for it as she felt the girl shudder beneath her, though she kept her eyes closed. Next Quinn made her way down to Santana's neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses as she added the occasional bite. She could tell Santana was struggling to suppress a moan. It couldn't be long until she would give in. She gave her another kiss on the cheek before she gently rubbed up her nose against Santana's. Suddenly she felt Santana's lips pressed up against her own, pulling her in for a good morning kiss. As Quinn let go her eyes were met with beautiful brown ones.

'You're annoying.'

'You love it.'

A smile spread across Santana's face. 'I do.'

'Last night…' she continued. 'It was…'

'Amazing,' Quinn finished for her.

'Yeah…'

As much as last night was indeed amazing, this left both of them with a topic they've been trying to avoid. Yes, Santana said she'd stay with Quinn until she had proven her love to her. She got more out of it than she had ever expected, but she also knew this meant she'd have to return to New York. It was definitely something they needed to talk about, but neither of them wanted to spoil the moment. Besides, they just woke up, they could talk about this some other time…

'Your hair,' Quinn started.

This caused Santana to frown. 'What about it?'

A grin formed on Quinn's face. 'You have sex-hair.'

Quinn was proud of her little… work of art.

Santana rolled her eyes before letting out a chuckle. 'I have to say you really rocked my world,' she answered with a satisfied look on her face. 'I could definitely get used to that…' She pulled her girlfriend in for another kiss, softly biting Quinn's lower lip.

'Guess you're gonna have to come visit more often…' Quinn whispered as she pulled away, soon realizing she accidentally brought up the topic they were so desperately trying to avoid. After a moment of silence Quinn was the first to speak.

'So when are you…'

'I don't know,' Santana quickly replied, not wanting to think about leaving.

'Look, it's okay… I know you belong in New York…' Quinn admitted as she attempted a smile.

She was telling the truth. She knew New York was her home, though that still didn't change the fact that she really wished Santana would stay.

'I don't know how I could leave you… The thought of waking up without you… I just – I want you beside me.'

Quinn nodded, knowing exactly what Santana was talking about.

Although, there was one glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.

'Six weeks 'til summer.'

The idea of spending the whole summer with Quinn made Santana smile. 'I'll be counting the days.'

'You better,' Quinn grinned as she placed a kiss on Santana's lips. She paused for a moment to take in the feeling of Santana's lips brushing up against hers, wanting to remember the way it feels before she had to leave. But… _Who am I kidding?_

Quinn was absolutely smitten with Santana, _in_ _every single and possible way_. Not anything or anyone could ever make her forget.

'Have I told you that I love you yet?'

Santana shrugged. 'I don't know, once or twice maybe,' she joked.

The blonde playfully squinted her eyes at the other girl.

'I love you too,' Santana added.

Quinn smiled, content with her girlfriend's answer.

They cuddled for a little while longer before Santana wondered, 'So… what should we do today?'

Quinn took a moment to think. 'We could head out to the beach, weather's really nice today.'

'Sounds like a great idea.'

'Guess that means we're gonna have to get out of bed…'

They both let out a sigh.

'Join me in the shower?' Quinn asked seductively.

A smirk appeared on the other girl's face. 'Thought you'd never ask.' Almost immediately she stood up, apparently excited about taking that shower.

Quinn however purposely took her time to get up.

Santana frowned. 'You ask me to join you in the shower, that means you have to get up Q. It's not nice to make people wait.'

'What's the rush?' Quinn teased as she slowly sat upright.

'You really are annoying.' Santana smiled and took Quinn's hand, hauling her up with that much force it caused Quinn to crash into her, sending them both on a straight trip to the ground.

They both let out a little cry in pain before bursting out in laughter.

'If you wanted me to get up you could've just asked.'

'Why you…' Santana growled at the girl on top of her.

Quinn stood up, this time offering Santana a hand. 'Come on,' she said with a smile.

Santana shook her head at the other girl once more before giving in. 'If it weren't for love…'

This caused Quinn to giggle. She made her way to the shower as Santana quickly peeked at her phone to check what time it is. She unlocked her screen, not expecting so see what she saw.

_7 missed calls._

Her mother had called her seven times, which was unusual.

'You coming?' Quinn called out from the shower.

'You go ahead,' Santana yelled back. 'I'm just gonna call back my mom real quick.'

'You sure?'

'Yeah, I'll be right there.'

About twenty minutes later Santana still hadn't joined Quinn in the shower. After Quinn dried her hair she quickly threw on a shirt and some sweatpants.

'Hey, how come you were a no-show?'

As she walked out of the bathroom she saw Santana sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly in front of her. She didn't respond.

Quinn started to get worried.

'Santana what is it?' She asked while approaching the girl.

_Still nothing._

Just as Quinn was about to repeat the question Santana spoke.

'My abuela…'

Santana swallowed hard, she struggled to finish the sentence. Quinn noticed she was avoiding her gaze. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to her girlfriend.

'San, look at me.' Quinn put her hands on her cheeks, forcing Santana to face her. It was only now she noticed Santana was fighting back tears.

'What happened?' She whispered, feeling her own heart slightly breaking at the sight. It was hard seeing her this… vulnerable.

'She passed away this morning.' Santana finally answered.

Quinn's heart sank at hearing those words.

'Santana I'm so sorry…' She quickly pulled her in for a hug. She knew Santana's relationship with her abuela was complicated to say the least, they haven't spoken to each other ever since she came out. Her heart ached for the Latina. She knew Santana was still hoping her abuela would come around someday, though now, it was certain that day would never come.

Quinn hugged her even tighter. She hoped Santana realized she wouldn't have to go through this alone. Santana's always been there for her, and this time it was Quinn's turn to be there for Santana.

* * *

**Note: **So that's one last loop I wanna throw them for. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and either way, good day to you!


	29. Denial

**Note: **Been out of this one for a while, but I haven't forgotten this fic. Even though there are lots of things I would've changed if I look back, I do want to finish it. So here's another chapter to you! (though I'm slightly feverish right now so forgive me if it shows in my writing)

* * *

Four weeks had passed since Santana's abuela died. Quinn vowed to herself to be by her side to help Santana get over this. This did mean she had to miss more classes, but after some explaining, the teachers were oddly enough quite sympathetic. Even they had to admit they've grown rather fond of Santana during the time she joined Quinn in classes, and Quinn couldn't blame them. Santana's determination was admirable, and she just had that certain charm, she knew how to draw people in. Quinn would know, because she was the sucker that fell for it in the first place. And she couldn't be happier. The teachers understood that Quinn needed to be there for Santana, which is why they let her do her assignments and studying at home. All she had to do was show up for the final test.

Though Quinn was grateful for her teachers' understanding, she was worried about Santana. There was something really off about her lately. It's not like she locked herself in a room, or ran away like Quinn had expected her to. Under normal circumstances, people wouldn't have noticed anything different about her. But Quinn knew Santana was still hurting, yet she was acting… _normal_, actually. As if nothing ever happened. At the funeral even Quinn nearly had to wipe away a tear, but when she looked over at Santana, she was surprised to find that Santana wasn't crying, at all. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Morning sexy," Santana whispered huskily.

They were laying in Santana's bed, Quinn came home with her to New York.

Quinn slowly opened her eyes as she adjusted to the light. "Morning…" she managed.

"Sleep well?"

Quinn looked up to face Santana, who was looking at her with the sweetest smile. It was exactly _this _that had Quinn worried. It's wasn't like she wanted to see Santana cry, but she had to deal with it sooner or later right? Either way, Santana sure took her time.

"Alright," Quinn replied with a somewhat forced smile. Santana noticed this.

"Is something wrong?"

"No… Well… Yeah actually. Honestly, I didn't sleep very well," Quinn admitted. She had been awake a lot of the time just to watch Santana. Worried, mostly.

"I'm sorry, can I… make it better?" Santana whispered seductively as she cupped Quinn's cheek and pulled her in for a kiss. She'd been doing that a lot lately.

Quinn knew it was all a façade, yet she still couldn't help but shudder at Santana's touch. Quinn tried to mentally shrug it off, she had to talk to her. But Santana definitely didn't make it easy. She draped her arms around Quinn's waist and pulled her body closer, placing another gentle kiss on her lips.

"Santana…"

Santana didn't respond. She slowly climbed on top of Quinn and started leaving sweet kisses down her neck, making Quinn beg she had the strength to stop her.

"Santana… Don't…" she uttered, struggling to suppress a moan.

"What is it…" Santana whispered as she let her hands wander off down to Quinn's lower half. Quinn cursed herself for being so weak. Distant or not, having Santana's talented hands trail across her body still had her mind racing. She _needed_ to get it together.

Just as Santana's hand started to move down to where Quinn desperately needed it – much to her dismay – she finally managed to snap herself out of it. This has been going on long enough, and Santana had to deal with her issues whether she liked it or not.

"Stop," Quinn spoke firmly, as she put her hands on Santana's in order to halt her movement.

Santana looked at Quinn, arching an eyebrow. "Do you not… want to?"

Quinn swallowed for a moment. As if the answer wasn't obvious. "I – God yes I do, but… We can't."

"Why not?" Santana asked, almost offended.

"Because," Quinn paused. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

Quinn frowned. "You know exactly about what. We need to talk about her."

Santana let out a sigh as she rolled off of Quinn, sinking back into her spot on the mattress. "We don't."

"Yes we do," Quinn suddenly spoke louder, causing Santana to face her again. "You've been acting like nothing's wrong, and it just… I'm worried, okay?"

"Quinn, did you ever think that just maybe, nothing _is _wrong?" Santana replied calmly, only frustrating Quinn more.

Quinn shook her head. "I know you. I know you're upset, even though you're too stubborn to show it."

"Quinn, I'm not –"

"Please San, you can't keep doing this. You need to deal with it."

"I don't _need_ to _anything_. Now can we please drop it?"

"No!" Quinn was tired of pretending, playing along with Santana's little games to avoid her emotions. "Santana, we are –"

"You know what, I think we should eat pancakes for breakfast," Santana cut Quinn off as she got up quickly, throwing on a sweater and a pair of jeans.

"W – What?" Quinn asked in disbelief. "You can't do that."

Santana turned to face Quinn. "Do what? Make pancakes for my girlfriend? I know I'm not the best cook but I think I got –"

Quinn shook her head. "_That. _You think I don't see through your act?"

"Quinn –"

"Santana I'm your girlfriend," Quinn spoke as her eyes met Santana's. "You can talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about," Santana replied before making her way out of the room.

Santana's lack of expression agitated Quinn, so she quickly threw on some clothes and followed Santana into the living room. "We're not done yet."

"Who are you to decide?" Santana suddenly called back, some emotion returning into her eyes. For the first time, she seemed somewhat angry. It wasn't much, but it was more than Quinn had gotten out of her over the past few weeks.

Quinn calmed herself down as she approached her girlfriend. "Santana, I don't want to upset you."

Santana shook her head as she moved a few steps back. "You sure as hell are trying."

Quinn was shocked to find Santana visibly distancing herself from her. "Please San, I can't watch you do this anymore."

"Why are you making this so hard?" Santana replied, still shaking her head.

"What is going on here?" suddenly a voice sounded. It was Rachel, sleepily making her way into the living room. Once she finished rubbing her eyes she took in the sight in front of her. Judging from the looks on both Santana and Quinn's faces, they were arguing.

"Nothing," Santana said as she made an attempt to walk off. Quinn quickly stepped in front of her.

"Go away Quinn," Santana hissed, clearly annoyed by now.

Quinn shook her head. "Not until you finally talk about how you really feel." Quinn did feel a little better about the fact that some of Santana's fire had returned.

Santana groaned in frustration, but Quinn wouldn't let her pass. Santana looked at Rachel, somehow hoping the girl would side with her on this.

"I agree with Quinn," Rachel said as she shot Santana a sympathetic look. "Santana, you know I love you but Quinn's not the only one that's worried about you. We all are."

"Well I'm telling you not to worry," Santana replied, struggling to keep her voice down.

"You know she loved you right?" Quinn suddenly spoke. "She would have come around…"

Santana shook her head, avoiding eye contact. "Stop it Quinn."

"Santana…" Quinn put her hand up to Santana's cheek, but the Latina quickly backed up.

"Don't do that, you don't know _shit _Quinn! Who are you to tell me she would've come around? Or that she even loved me?!"

Quinn's heart ached for her girlfriend. Of course there's no way she could prove Santana's abuela would actually have come around, but one thing she could tell. "You're… amazing. You're beautiful, smart, caring, she would've come around because if she didn't… She'd know she'd be missing out."

"No –"

"She's right Santana." Suddenly Rachel's hand was on Santana's shoulder.

"Get off of me, just don't!"

As Santana managed to release herself from Rachel's grip, Rachel was surprised at Santana's reaction.

"You don't know anything about her! You don't know if she… If she would've…"

Quinn moved closer. "Just let it out San, I'm here for you."

"I can't do this," Santana stated before walking off.

Just as she was about to reach the door she was caught by Quinn, who firmly wrapped her arms around the girl.

"Let me go Quinn!"

At first, she struggled. But Quinn wouldn't let her go, because Santana needed to know Quinn wasn't going to give up. She kept a steady grip on her girlfriend. "You know if you walk away I'm gonna come after you right? Because that's what you did for me, and I love you for it."

Santana shook her head, she still struggled but after a little while Quinn could feel Santana's muscles relaxing. She slowly melted into Quinn's embrace. She was on the verge of tears, yet she didn't cry. But she didn't fight anymore either. Quinn held her tight before looking into Santana's eyes.

"You've always been there for me, now _please _let me be there for you."


End file.
